Congratulations to all our First-Generation College Student Graduates! 

In honor of December graduation, we'd like to introduce a few of our first-gen grads, in their own words: 

My name is Amna Ali and I’m graduating from UMBC this December in Business Technology Administration. Before UMBC, I graduated from Alrahmah School and transferred to UMBC from CCBC.

Getting accepted to UMBC was a really happy moment for my parents and I. I was eager to start my journey and also very nervous about the change coming in my life. I still remember my excitement when I received that big UMBC envelope. The first thing I did was go stick my UMBC decal on my car to show my UMBC pride and to express my excitement and happiness. UMBC always felt like home. A lot of my cousins went to UMBC and every time I would visit them on campus, I knew that I wanted to attend this university. It always felt welcoming and I always saw so much diversity. I always loved attending campus events and seeing the campus grow and see so many different people from different backgrounds getting to know each other and building great relationships.

My professors were really supportive throughout my journey. They were always there to help whenever I went to them. They all pushed me to my limits to succeed and do well. All professors were open to office hours and always there to help. Class projects were something I never looked forward to. However, mostly all my classes required that. I’m so glad that professors picked our groups and made us work with people we weren’t familiar with. It has really helped with my communication skills and has prepared me for the real world. I’ve also met so many people through those experiences that are now my lifetime friends. 

When starting at UMBC I also started working at the Academic Success Center and that was one of the biggest blessings. Each and every individual there helped me with my success at UMBC. I faced a lot of hard times in the process of getting my degree, and they were always there to motivate me and help me through my next steps to get to the finish line; always guiding me, and telling me what to do. I am so glad I got this opportunity and will really miss attending UMBC and working at the ASC. 

After graduation, I plan to work full time and then apply for grad school. I’m really excited to do my masters and also look forward to doing that at UMBC. I’m excited to put all the skills and education that I was fortunate enough to receive at UMBC into my career.