OPCD wins national career development award for first-generation initiative
The Office of Personal and Career Development (OPCD) has been honored with a prestigious award from the National Career Development Association for the First-Generation Career Readiness Initiative.
Launched in 2022, the initiative fundamentally reshaped the career ecosystem for first-generation (FG) undergraduates at Wake Forest. By dismantling historic barriers to career services, building cross-campus collaborations, and establishing national corporate partnerships, the program ensures that trailblazing students possess the social capital, professional networks, and resources necessary for post-graduation success.
Driving first-generation success
The First-Generation Career Readiness Initiative fosters a culture of career development with early engagement, dedicated career coaching, and pathways to internships and postgraduate employment.
The initiative began by hiring six first-generation ambassadors who hosted networking events, provided peer mentoring, and held evening office hours in the OPCD. This momentum expanded to include dedicated professional career coaching, cross-campus partnerships, career team integration into First-Year Experience (FYE) courses, and experiential opportunities such as a first-generation career trek to Washington, D.C.
Success Metrics:
- Career Engagement: 92% of FG students were actively engaged with career services, successfully matching the engagement rate of other students.
- Post-Graduation Averages: 95% of graduating FG students from the classes of 2020 – 2023 were employed or enrolled in graduate programs within six months of graduation
- Increased Participation: FG career services engagement grew by 75% within the first 18 months of the program, and FG student attendance at university career fairs increased by 40%.
- Academic Integration: Enrollment in first-generation-targeted FYE courses grew by 100%, including career development support in FY25.
Campus Impact and a National Model
Developing these solutions required broad, institutional collaboration. The OPCD partnered closely with the Office of the Dean of the College, the Scholar’s Office, and, specifically, the First in the Forest program, which serves as the university’s academic support hub for first-generation undergraduates. The initiative’s growth has been fueled by financial contributions from first-generation alumni, the Office of the Dean, Career Pathways Initiative (CPI), and a grant from NetVue.
“The collaborations with OPCD, First in the Forest, and CPI have really shown what a village can do when it comes together for the students who are trailblazing this path for the first time,” said Cesar Grisales, assistant director of First-Generation Success Programs.
Most critically, this success evolved into an innovative model for national impact. Inspired by the needs of first-generation students and Wake Forest’s work, a former Wall Street executive invited the OPCD and First in the Forest teams to support the launch of a new organization: the Career Pathways Initiative (CPI), which partners with selective universities and corporations to open opportunities for first-generation talent.
By providing foundational consulting, institutional research, and best practices for reaching vulnerable student populations, Wake Forest served as a thought partner to this national network. Today, the CPI model scales this vital career support to more than 25 campuses, serving over 200 first-generation students across the United States.
Through critical partnerships, Wake Forest University continues to ensure that first-generation students have access to strategic resources so that they can navigate post-graduate success and lead lives and careers of meaning.
Categories: Awards & Recognition, Personal & Career Development