Are You Ready
To Step Into Your Genius?
Helping individuals step into their genius through career-readiness, financial literacy, educational resources, and social emotional empowerment.
Our Story
What is First
Gen Legacy?
Tailored support is crucial for first-generation students to overcome the educational, professional, and personal obstacles they face in pursuing higher education, entering the future workforce and obtaining financial freedom.
Most low-income, first-generation, and underrepresented students rely on equity and federal TRIO programs for academic tutoring, personal counseling, mentoring, and financial guidance.
Nonetheless, such programs frequently encompass a wide array of subjects and are frequently overseen by early-career educators who may feel overwhelmed by the responsibilities of managing the program and may be struggling to deliver learning experiences across all needed subjects.
First Generation Legacy closes this gap by providing expert insight from real-world experience. Our goal is to help first-generation students discover their genius, reach financial freedom, and live a life of meaning, purpose, and joy.
We are on mission to close the achievement and wealth gap, and lack of diversity in professional leadership positions. We are eager to share our experiences with others and pay it forward by: boosting careers, building first-gen wealth, and breaking down systemic barriers.
Building this First-Gen community with our shared lived experience is our version of “Living Our Best Life.”
¡Si hablamos Español!
We also offer a variety of services to help other non TRIO organizations. Schedule a consultation appointment to explore your organization’s unique needs.
HOW WE HELP
What Our
Services Include
TRIO and other equity programs have always known that their first generation students learn best from models who share similar lived experiences. Our program provides the tools needed to supplement the TRIO and equity programs from a first generation perspective.
With over 40 years of expertise, we provide 60-90 minute workshops in career readiness, financial literacy, and social-emotional empowerment. All workshops are framed to empower first gen students to cultivate their genius: to be career ready, and to turn their first generation degree into first generation wealth. Clients can customize the level of interaction by increasing the length of presentations to 90 minutes.
Career Readiness
Get access to over 20 different professional development workshops covering career exploration, building your resume, mastering an interview, professional networking, and much more.
Financial Literacy
We offer over 30 different financial literacy interactive lessons covering how to stop living paycheck to paycheck, creating a plan to pay for college, investing in the stock market, reviewing your college financial package, and much more.
Social-Emotional
Empowerment (SEE)
Our unique and innovative SEE workshops enable students to recognize systemic obstacles such as imposter syndrome and implicit bias, and equip them with the necessary tools to surmount these barriers and reach their full potential.
Are You Ready To Step Into Your Genius?
¡Si hablamos Español!
We also offer a variety of services to help other non TRIO organizations. Schedule a consultation appointment to explore your organization’s unique needs.
GETTING STARTED
Experience Your Genius with FGL
We cater to your specific program needs with our nimble and adaptable approach by tailoring our workshops to your unique students’ needs with our extensive curriculum development experience. Whether you prefer virtual or in-person workshops, our services provide comprehensive support to colleges, universities, and other student-serving organizations in meeting the unique needs of their First Generation students.
Our customized workshops, speaking engagements, and tailored 1-1 coaching sessions empower First Generation students to unlock their true potential and step into their genius. Beyond student support, we also offer program evaluation, staff professional development, and parent workshops (in English and Spanish) to enhance your institution’s capabilities and reach. Don’t settle for a one-size-fits-all approach – let FGL elevate your First Generation support to the next level.
Step 1:
Book your free consultation, where we will discuss your program needs and how to tailor our services to your students.
Step 2:
An agreement with solutions will be created and submitted to the organization where the services will be delivered.
Step 3:
After the approval of the agreement, we commence workshops with your students and provide feedback through evaluations to ensure that their interests are being addressed.
Are you ready to help your students step into their genius through career-readiness, financial literacy, and social emotional empowerment?
¡Si hablamos Español!
We also offer a variety of services to help other non TRIO organizations. Schedule a consultation appointment to explore your organization’s unique needs.
Meet the Experts
Founder, Lifelong Public Servant
Paula Amezola, MPH, BS
I am the creator and founder of First Gen Legacy (FGL), a service aimed at providing first-generation students with the tools and resources to transform their degrees into successful careers and, ultimately, generational wealth. My upbringing was characterized by migrating between two countries and financial struggles, which made educational opportunities scarce, compounded by language barriers. Nevertheless, I navigated my way through the UC system, earning a B.S. in Genetics from UC Davis and a Master of Public Health in Epidemiology from UCLA.
For over two decades, I have worked in various capacities in the field of public health, with a particular focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion issues in communities of color. My DEI philosophy promotes empathy, cultural humility, and finding common ground in our shared humanity.
As the former founder of Public Health Career Services at the Keck School of Medicine, I have extensive experience in program implementation and development, working closely with academic departments to provide career coaching to public health professionals.
In 2020, I was elected to the CCUSD School Board of Education as the first Spanish speaking Latina, where I pay crucial attention to equity issues as they pertain to students who are English learners, low income or unhoused. This experience introduced me to a financial literacy teacher community with a shared vision of equipping students with crucial life skills such as financial literacy.
In 2023, I was appointed as the Westop Socal Chapter Alumni Chair, where I successfully recruited two co-chairs to ensure continued growth and development. My experience as a first-generation student has equipped me with the knowledge and passion for empowering other first-generation students through social-emotional empowerment, career readiness, and financial literacy education.
I am excited to bring all my experiences to FGL and make a positive impact on the lives of first-generation students, helping them reach their full potential and achieve success in their careers and financial goals.
Lifelong Learner and Educator
William Herrera, M.S.Ed., BS
I am a first-generation college graduate who grew up low income and benefited from support systems like TRiO student support services. I feel compelled to pay it forward and give back to the community.
Since 1999, I have served as an educational leader in Los Angeles public schools. Initially, I focused on pushing young students up the University pipeline as a middle school teacher and science department chair. I then expanded my sphere of influence to high school, where I served as the founding assistant principal of a charter high school and later as the principal of another Green Dot Public high school.
In 2010, I transitioned to the University Recruitment side of the pipeline and joined the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science. During my time there, I aggressively grew the Engineering Science Corps Outreach summer program from 22 students to 5 distinct programs, impacting over 480 UCLA Engineering pipeline students.
In 2017, I launched and developed two brand new programs at UCLA Engineering, the Undergraduate Research Program and the Undergraduate Internship Program, serving over 4,000 UCLA undergraduate engineering students. Over 85% of senior exit survey respondents reported they completed an industry internship before graduation.
In addition to my education work, I have become passionate about financial literacy. I have spent the last five years learning about personal finance through books, blogs, and podcasts, and I have used this knowledge to build first-generation wealth through investments in real estate and the stock market.
My next professional goal is to spread financial literacy to all first-generation students so they can reach financial independence earlier in life. Achieving financial independence frees individuals to focus on helping others and positively impacting their communities.
Are You Ready To Step Into Your Genius?
¡Si hablamos Español!
We also offer a variety of services to help other non TRIO organizations. Schedule a consultation appointment to explore your organization’s unique needs.