{"id":4450,"date":"2026-03-02T14:21:45","date_gmt":"2026-03-02T20:21:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.winona.edu\/student-life\/?page_id=4450"},"modified":"2026-03-02T14:21:46","modified_gmt":"2026-03-02T20:21:46","slug":"first-gen-warriors","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.winona.edu\/student-life\/support\/first-gen-warriors\/","title":{"rendered":"First-Gen Warriors"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"hero\">\n    <div class=\"hero__wrap\">\n        <div class=\"hero__media\">\n                        <picture>\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.winona.edu\/student-life\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2024\/03\/WSU_Students-2023-08-18_151907.jpg\" alt=\"placeholder\">\n            <\/picture>\n                     \n                    <\/div>\n        <div class=\"hero__container\">\n            <div class=\"breadcrumbs\"><div class=\"breadcrumbs__container\">\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.winona.edu\/student-life\">Student Life<\/a> <span class=\"breadcrumbs__separator\"><\/span> <span class=\"current\">Page<\/span>\n<\/div><\/div>\n            <div class=\"hero__content\">\n                <div class=\"hero__text\">\n                                        <h1 class=\"hero__title\" data-animation=\"fade-in-up\" data-animate=\"true\">\u00a0First-Gen Warriors<\/h1>                    <div class=\"hero__description\" data-animation=\"fade-in-up\" data-animate=\"true\">\n                        <p>Being a new college student is exciting and overwhelming.\u00a0You are in a new environment with new teachers, new classmates, and new challenges. We recognize that being a First-Gen Warrior can come with additional challenges and learning experiences.<\/p>\n                    <\/div>\n                    \n                <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n\n\n\n    \n<div id=\"\" class=\"panel panel--relative panel--white\">\n    <div class=\"panel__container\">                <div class=\"panel__main\">\n            \n\n<p>Being first-generation means you are the first person in your family to earn a bachelor\u2019s degree. Over 3,000 undergraduates, or 39.6% of students at WSU, are First-Gen Warriors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>First-gen students, compared to students whose parents have a 4-year bachelor\u2019s degree, are more likely to be:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Equally supported and encouraged by their parents<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Transfer students<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Female<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Low-income<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Juggling academics and a job<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Commuting or living off campus&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>We want you to know that you are not alone. You have access to plenty of resources, support services, and friendly faces to help you get adjusted to college life.&nbsp;<strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"panel panel--relative panel--purple\">\n    <div class=\"panel__container panel__container--inset\">\n        <div class=\"wsu-block testimonial-slider\">\n            <div class=\"testimonial-slider__heading\">First-Gen Stories<\/div><div class=\"testimonial-slider__item\">\n<div class=\"testimonial-slider__quote\">\nMy parents support my education but there were times they couldn\u2019t help me, because they didn\u2019t have experience in college. My first-gen orientation class helped me understand loans, renting versus buying textbooks, joining clubs, studying abroad and many other aspects of being a college student.\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"testimonial-slider__details\">\nErin\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n            <button class=\"testimonial-slider__nav__button testimonial-slider__button-prev\"><\/button>\n            <button class=\"testimonial-slider__nav__button testimonial-slider__button-next\"><\/button>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n    \n<div id=\"\" class=\"panel panel--relative panel--purple\">\n    <div class=\"panel__container\">                <div class=\"panel__main\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"wsu-block feature-panel\">\n    <div class=\"feature-panel__content\">\n        <div class=\"feature-panel__main\">\n   <div class=\"feature-panel__title h2\">Scholarships<\/div>\n   <div class=\"feature-panel__description\">Many WSU First-Gen Warriors also come from low-income families who need financial support to pay for tuition, room, board and other college expenses.<\/div>\n   \n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.winona.edu\/financial-aid\/\" class=\"wsu-link cta-button cta-button--external cta-button--lime cta-button--\" data-animation=\"fade-in-up\" data-animate=\"true\" >\n    <span>WSU Financial Aid<\/span>\n<\/a>\n\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"feature-panel__media\">\n   <div class=\"feature-panel__image\">\n       <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.winona.edu\/student-life\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2024\/03\/WSU_Students-2022-09-10_101436-600x400.jpg\" alt=\"Students talk with donors at tables during the annual Scholarship Banquet on the WSU campus.\">\n   <\/div>\n<\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">First-Gen Warrior Scholarship<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wsu-block tabs\">\n\n    <div class=\"tabs-nav\">\n        <button class=\"tabs__toggle\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-expanded=\"false\" id=\"tabbed-1\">Step 1: Check that You Qualify<\/button>\n<button class=\"tabs__toggle\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-expanded=\"false\" id=\"tabbed-2\">Step 2: Write Your Essay<\/button>\n<button class=\"tabs__toggle\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-expanded=\"false\" id=\"tabbed-3\">Step 3: Submit Your Application<\/button>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <div class=\"tabs-content\">\n        <button class=\"tabs__mobile__toggle\">Step 1: Check that You Qualify<\/button>\n<div class=\"tabs__content__item\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><div><p>To qualify for this scholarship, you must be:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>An undergraduate student enrolled full time and in good academic standing (minimum 12 credits\/semester in fall and spring)<\/li>\n<li>A first-generation college student based on the federal definition of neither parent having a 4-year bachelor&#8217;s degree<\/li>\n<li>A student with demonstrated financial need, as determined by the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<button class=\"tabs__mobile__toggle\">Step 2: Write Your Essay<\/button>\n<div class=\"tabs__content__item\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><div><p>The application essay should include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Future professional goals or objectives<\/li>\n<li>Involvement in the WSU or Winona community<\/li>\n<li>How this scholarship would make a difference in your college experience<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>There is no minimum length requirement for the essay, but you should be thoughtful and thorough in your answers.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<button class=\"tabs__mobile__toggle\">Step 3: Submit Your Application<\/button>\n<div class=\"tabs__content__item\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><div><p>The scholarship deadline is in the spring, but the specific date varies year to year.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n    \n<div id=\"\" class=\"panel panel--relative panel--white\">\n    <div class=\"panel__container\">                    <div class=\"panel__header\">\n                <div class=\"panel__intro\">\n                                    <div id= \"faqs\" class=\"h2\">FAQs<\/div>\n                                                    <div class=\"panel__description panel__description--wide\">\n                        <p>College can bring up a lot of questions, especially for first generation students. Just know that you are not alone! We are here to help you find the answers. <\/p>\n                    <\/div>\n                                <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div class=\"panel__main\">\n            \n\n<p>Here are some frequently asked questions of new and fist-gun students. Feel free to contact us with any additional questions you may have. <\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wsu-block accordion\">\n        <div class=\"accordion__item\" data-animation=\"fade-in-up\" data-animate=\"true\">\n        <button id=\"I_am_not_sure_if_I_am_in_the_right_major._Is_it_hard_to_change_my_major?_\" class=\"accordion__toggle\" title=\"I_am_not_sure_if_I_am_in_the_right_major._Is_it_hard_to_change_my_major?_\" aria-pressed=\"false\">\n            I am not sure if I am in the right major. Is it hard to change my major?         <\/button>\n        <div class=\"accordion__content\">\n            <p>It is totally normal to question your major. In fact, almost 75% of new college freshmen change their major at least once.<\/p>\n<p>The process for <a href=\"https:\/\/www2.winona.edu\/major\/declare-major.asp\">switching your major<\/a>\u00a0is quite simple. You can access the<span class=\"apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/warriorspace.winona.edu\/ProcessDirector\/form.aspx?pid=cbc76cfa-e332-489a-a868-237dcf390893&amp;formid=eb972553-290b-49ec-987a-a5fa07f86d53&amp;forminstid=&amp;tlid=&amp;wfinstid=&amp;prinstid=&amp;linkwfid=&amp;linkprid=&amp;testmode=&amp;nottask=&amp;CTConfigure=&amp;CTRun=&amp;CTContainerFORMID=&amp;CTContainerWFID=&amp;CTContainerRULEID=&amp;CTContainerPRID=&amp;parsecontrols=&amp;completepage=&amp;completepageprompt=&amp;completetext=&amp;findtask=&amp;INFOMSG=&amp;caseinstid=\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Declaration\/Change of Major Form<\/a> online.<\/p>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    <div class=\"accordion__item\" data-animation=\"fade-in-up\" data-animate=\"true\">\n        <button id=\"Can_I_still_graduate_in_4_years_if_I_switch_majors?_\" class=\"accordion__toggle\" title=\"Can_I_still_graduate_in_4_years_if_I_switch_majors?_\" aria-pressed=\"false\">\n            Can I still graduate in 4 years if I switch majors?         <\/button>\n        <div class=\"accordion__content\">\n            <p>It depends on the major you switch to and when in your college career you officially make the switch.<\/p>\n<p>For instance, if you switch from an elementary education major to a special education major, it\u2019s more likely that you will graduate in four years because the programs are similar. Changing majors between two entirely different fields, such as from a business major to a nursing major, may take more than four years to complete your degree.<\/p>\n<p>If you change your major as a freshman, you are more likely to still graduate in four years than if you waited to change your major until your junior or senior year.<\/p>\n<p>However, you don\u2019t want to hop from major to major. Switching majors multiple times make it more likely that you will need more than four years to graduate.<\/p>\n<p>If you are considering changing your major, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.winona.edu\/student-life\/support\/warrior-success-center\/meet-with-an-advisor\/\">schedule an appointment with an advisor<\/a>\u00a0in the Warrior Success Center. An advisor can also run a degree audit (DARS) for various majors, so you can map out how long a particular major will take to complete.<\/p>\n<p>If you aren\u2019t ready to meet with an advisor and just want to explore on your own for a while, check out these resources on <a href=\"https:\/\/www2.winona.edu\/major\">deciding your major<\/a>.<\/p>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    <div class=\"accordion__item\" data-animation=\"fade-in-up\" data-animate=\"true\">\n        <button id=\"I_feel_homesick_and_overwhelmed_by_college._Is_there_someone_on_campus_who_can_help?\" class=\"accordion__toggle\" title=\"I_feel_homesick_and_overwhelmed_by_college._Is_there_someone_on_campus_who_can_help?\" aria-pressed=\"false\">\n            I feel homesick and overwhelmed by college. Is there someone on campus who can help?        <\/button>\n        <div class=\"accordion__content\">\n            <p>It\u2019s totally normal for new college students feel homesick, especially during their first year.<\/p>\n<p>You can talk to your RA, a faculty member, or other students, since most first year students feel overwhelmed their first semester or even their first year.<\/p>\n<p>You can also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.winona.edu\/student-life\/support\/warrior-success-center\/meet-with-an-advisor\/\">meet with an advisor<\/a> in the Warrior Success Center, or talk to someone in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.winona.edu\/student-life\/wellness\/counseling-services\/\">Counseling Services<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>A great strategy for overcoming homesickness is getting involved in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.winona.edu\/student-life\/clubs\/\">campus sport, club or activity<\/a>.<\/p>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    <div class=\"accordion__item\" data-animation=\"fade-in-up\" data-animate=\"true\">\n        <button id=\"I&#039;m_not_sure_if_financial_aid_will_cover_all_my_college_costs._Is_there_someone_I_can_talk_to_about_my_options?\" class=\"accordion__toggle\" title=\"I&#039;m_not_sure_if_financial_aid_will_cover_all_my_college_costs._Is_there_someone_I_can_talk_to_about_my_options?\" aria-pressed=\"false\">\n            I&#039;m not sure if financial aid will cover all my college costs. Is there someone I can talk to about my options?        <\/button>\n        <div class=\"accordion__content\">\n            <p>Managing money can be a stressful part of being a college student. There is a lot of confusing language surrounding financial aid and college billing.<\/p>\n<p>There are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.winona.edu\/student-life\/support\/money-management\/\">financial resources<\/a> to help you develop a plan for paying for college and learn more about money management. WSU also offers <a href=\"https:\/\/whichway.org\/register\/email\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">WhichWay<\/a>,\u00a0a free way to learn more about financial aid, budgeting, getting out of debt and more.<\/p>\n<p>You can always schedule an appointment with a financial expert in the<span class=\"apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.winona.edu\/student-life\/support\/warrior-hub\/\">Warrior Hub<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>If you are interested in getting a job to help pay for college, check out <a href=\"https:\/\/winona.joinhandshake.com\/login\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Handshake<\/a>.\u00a0Handshake is managed by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.winona.edu\/student-life\/support\/career-services\/\">Career Services<\/a> and provides job listings exclusively for WSU students \u2014 including on campus jobs.<\/p>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Contact<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Reach out if you have any questions about resources on campus.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wsu-block contact-card mb-1\">\n   <div class=\"contact-card__content\">\n       <div class=\"contact-card__title h4\">\n           Warrior Success Center\n       <\/div>\n       <div class=\"contact-card__subtitle h4\">\n           \n       <\/div>\n       <div class=\"contact-card__description\">\n           <p>507.457.5878<\/p>\n\n       <\/div>\n       <a class=\"wsu-link contact-card__link\" href=\"mailto:firstgenwarrior@winona.edu\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\">Email the Warrior Success Center<\/a>\n   <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>First generation students will find plenty of resources, support services, and friendly faces to help them through their college journey at WSU.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":4590,"parent":29,"menu_order":5,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"template-full-width.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_tec_requires_first_save":true,"_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_tribe_blocks_recurrence_rules":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_description":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_exclusions":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[8,16],"class_list":["post-4450","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wsc","tag-kba","tag-legacy"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.winona.edu\/student-life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4450","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.winona.edu\/student-life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.winona.edu\/student-life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.winona.edu\/student-life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.winona.edu\/student-life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4450"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.winona.edu\/student-life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4450\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6257,"href":"https:\/\/www.winona.edu\/student-life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4450\/revisions\/6257"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.winona.edu\/student-life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/29"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.winona.edu\/student-life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4590"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.winona.edu\/student-life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4450"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.winona.edu\/student-life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4450"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.winona.edu\/student-life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4450"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}