In these "Meet the Host" episodes, each of our current hosts will introduce themselves and share with our audience a little about their own personal first-gen stories. 

In this episode, you’ll hear how a local scholarship program, called the George Washington Gale Scholars, helped Cody discover that he was a First Generation student and helped him pay for his college degrees at Carl Sandburg College and Knox College. You’ll also hear about the highs and lows of his college experience and how a post-college experience helped lead him to his eventual career as a Postsecondary School Counselor. He takes all of the lessons he has learned along the way and uses those to assist the next generation of first gen students and help them find career clarity and success.