Blog post by Ko Barrett, Deputy Assistant Administrator for Research, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) My name is Ko Barrett. I am a first-generation professional and the first person in my extended family to attend college. We were a working-class family of six, living in the “inner city” where crime was rampant and civil unrest was a fact of life during the turbulent late...

Blog post by Gregory White, Data Analyst, Human Capital Strategy and Diversity Office As a first-generation professional, my journey was complicated by a lack of three things that I think are valuable to success: a) a lighthouse, b) a sounding board, and c) a reference point for success. A lighthouse is a navigational beacon. It helps to orient you and warn you of danger. Early in my academic and...