Being the first to accomplish anything is never easy, but achieving it makes success even sweeter. On Saturday of Commencement Weekend 2025, 54 students at Knox College were celebrated for being the first person in their family to graduate from college at the 10th annual first-generation ceremony. 

Risa Lopez, the executive director of the TRIO Student Success Program and the McNair Scholars Program, delivered the keynote speech. A fellow first-generation college graduate and advocate for students, Lopez spoke about her experiences, the importance of finding one’s place, and the value of strong support systems both at home and on campus. 

For Lopez, the thought of attending college came early and was the dream of hard-working, blue-collar parents who wanted the best and brightest futures for their children.

“My parents were young, they had all the hopes and dreams in their children, about what could come next for their family,” Lopez said. “We found a little notebook my dad had written in while my mom was pregnant with me and these dreams saying, ‘They’re going to grow up and change the world.’ That’s a tall order for a little child . . .  I took my dad to and from work every day so I would have a car to run to and from all those practices and when I picked him up I would say: ‘How was work?” and he would say: ‘Same as yesterday, that’s why you have to go to college.’”

Student speaker Gabrielle Randol ’25, a TRIO member and Gale Scholar shared her experience as a first-generation college student, reflecting on both the highs and lows and the life lessons learned. 

“There’s so much we have learned in our experiences as first-generation college students, yet we have so much more of a life to live,” she said. “Now is the time to live the life you have learned. As first-generation college students, we are the manifestations of trailblazers as we as students have manifested, built, and lived successes that will continue to build the way for future generations to come.”

Randol also acknowledged the support she and her twin sister, Madeline, a fellow first-generation graduate, received from their family. 

“Despite working so hard, the women in my life never have stopped telling me how important education was for me and my sister as it was a drawer full of opportunities and possibilities,” Randol said. “Being a first-generation college student has opened my eyes and so many doors for me. My Knox experience is something I will take with me forever.”

Randol's sentiments resonated with many graduates. 

“I also come from a low-income family, first-generation from Galesburg,” Alexa Custer ’25 said. “I grew up with Gabbie, her speech meant a lot to me, it means a lot to my family.In the long run, we’re here as a collective, as a community.”

The theme of community among first-generation students was echoed by Steven Mensah ’25. 

“I only lived on campus my first year, since I’m from town I went back home,” the computer science major said. “It’s cool seeing a bunch of different people here. Some I speak to a lot, and some I don’t even know. In general, it’s cool to see all of us here. We went through this journey, and we made it here together.”

Custer, a double major in philosophy and psychology, plans to attend the University of Missouri to pursue a Ph.D. in philosophy. She has participated in multiple first-generation and Commencement ceremonies at Knox, but attending this one as a graduate means more than any other. 

“It’s exciting,” she said. “I have been here multiple years at this event, but it means a little bit more when it’s about you.”