Many times, freshmen dive into college life headfirst without knowing a single person at the school they are attending. At The University of Alabama, however, there is a program designed to offer students a support group, a family within a large community, in order to successfully navigate their time at college.

The First Scholars Program is an organization for first-generation college students whose parents have had no more than two years of education beyond high school and attained no post-secondary degree. The program is designed to offer support to these students and enhance their ability to successfully graduate.

Jessica Norris, a freshman majoring in business and student in the program, said it’s nice going to a big university with people she knows through the program.

“We do a lot of events with each other, including social events, community service hours, mentor meetings and meetings with our coordinators, all once a month,” Norris said.

One requirement with First Scholars is that all freshmen in the program live together. Shelby Lawrence, a junior majoring in biology and student in the program, said she was able to form better relationships with the other students in the program because they lived together.

“That was probably the best part, just being so close to everyone,” Lawrence said. “Yes, we had random roommates, and we didn’t get to choose, but we are all in the same scholarship program. We were all doing activities together, so it was a really good experience rather than just having a random roommate you didn’t know.”

Morgan Overstreet, a freshman majoring in education, and student in the program, said she loves the way First Scholars has brought everyone in the program together.

“You’re surrounded by a great network of people while also obtaining scholarship money at the same time,” Overstreet said.

Lawrence said juniors are given leading positions to help the younger students in the program. The juniors plan most of the social events, and the freshmen and sophomores get to work these events.

“It’s really great; younger students in the program can look up to myself and the entire junior class for guidance,” Lawrence said. “It really is a great program. We are around each other all the time, doing events together and just really growing as a family.”

First Scholars is currently holding a supplies and funding drive to benefit the Alabama Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Lawrence said their coordinator is a die-hard animal lover who is also good friends with the women who run SPCA, so First Scholars decided to help the organization get supplies. Lawrence said she adopted her chihuahua Ruby during the SPCA drive they hosted last year.

“We all have close ties with SPCA, and they’ve been needing supplies badly for a while,” Lawrence said. “We just really need to get more donations to help SPCA.”

Donation boxes are set up in the Ferguson Center, and there is also a table in the Ferg where students can use their ACT cards to donate money. The First Scholars Program will also pick up donations. For more information, contact Jessica Franks at [email protected]. The drive will end Friday, Nov. 15.