Many first-generation learners arrive on campus without visibility into the systems that shape their academic success and contribute to their career goals. When mentorship pathways are unclear, learners may isolate, disengage, or leave before discovering the support available to them.

In this episode, Dr. Kendall Laster, Director of Student Success at Central Alabama Community College, discusses how institutions can rethink access to mentorship and design support structures that meet learners where they are.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why first-generation identity is often misunderstood
• How mentorship visibility breaks down in higher education
• Low-cost strategies institutions can use to improve mentorship access
• Why mentorship should be an institutional responsibility