First-generation student Zahraa Alomar and her family went through great hardship to reach Boise from their home country. Now as a Biology major at Boise State working on the vertically integrated plasma medicine project and set to graduate when she is just 19 years old, Alomar is making her parents and family proud, something she sees as an obligation as the first person in her family to attend college.
Entering college can be daunting, so support is especially important for first-generation students to be successful. Thankfully, Alomar’s friends introduced her to the TRIO Rising Scholars program, and along with her mentor Ryan the program has helped Alomar make her accomplishments possible. “The TRIO community is like a family that pushes you and supports you during stressful times,” said Alomar. “Ryan helped me understand many things about college and gave me helpful advice.”