So you decided you want to pursue higher education. Great! You are excited about this next chapter and then BAM, you get hit with your first barrier: no funding. Or maybe for you, it’s the struggle of not knowing what to do or where to go for resources on applying for financial aid. What about a laptop, reliable internet, or even a support system?  Whatever the case may be, you might be asking yourself the question “where do I even start?”    

In this week’s episode, we talk to a first generation college student who faced not only the daunting task of moving from Hawaii to Arizona, but doing it virtually all alone. With the closest family over 2800 miles away, Arianne Yago had to navigate learning, building a network and professional brand all by herself. She now shares her tips for thriving as a first generation student, establishing a network and building a long lasting legacy.  

Arianne Yago is a first generation student with a Masters Degree in Human Relations and a Bachelor Degree in Strategic Communication. She founded the A. Yago Scholarship, a scholarship for first-generation college students attending Northern Arizona University, in memory of her late grandfather Antonio Yago. Antonio was an advocate for higher education and sparked Arianne's passion for academia. Arianne is the reigning Miss Arizona Collegiate United States, the recipient of NAU's President's Achievement Award, serves as the Institutional Representative for Arizona Women in Higher Education (AWHE), and is on the EDUCAUSE Young Professionals Advisory Committee (YPAC).

Follow Arianne Yago: Miss Arizona Collegiate United States Instagram: https://instagram.com/missazcollegiateus

Miss Arizona Collegiate United States Facebook: https://facebook.com/missazcollegiateus

Arianne's personal Instagram:  https://instagram.com/arianneyago 

Give to the A. Yago scholarship:  https://arianneyago.squarespace.com/a-yago-scholarship