Dallas First-Gen

Victoria Gonchar, the founder of the Dallas First-Gen Project, is a first-generation student herself and a founding lifetime member of the National Leadership Society of First-Generation Students. Through her own experiences, she understands how much more difficult the path to college can be for students who are the first in their families to pursue higher education, especially those from immigrant families. Tasks that many students take for granted, such as selecting colleges, completing financial aid applications, meeting important deadlines, or preparing for standardized tests can be overwhelming without guidance and support at home.

Dallas is home to one of the largest Hispanic and Latino communities in the United States and many students within this community are the first in their families to pursue higher education. Many also come from families with limited financial resources, making access to mentorship, academic support, and college preparation more challenging.

Victoria launched the Dallas First-Gen Project to help bridge this gap. She organizes free workshops on college applications, essay writing, and math preparation, and raises funds to provide professional tutors for students who need extra help to prepare for SAT/ACT and cannot afford it.

Dallas First-Gen Project’s mission is to ensure that talented and hardworking students have a fair opportunity to reach their full potential.