Co-Presented by Black Mountain Institute, the UNLV Minority Serving Institution Student Council, and The Intersection

The Next Gen Essay Competition is part of an annual campus-wide First-Generation Celebration held in November. The contest allows first-generation undergraduate and graduate students to share personal stories about their first-generation journeys at UNLV. Nearly 40 students participated in this year's contest, and three winners were selected from both the undergraduate and graduate categories. We're thrilled to share their winning entries with the UNLV community as part of MSI Week.

Undergraduate Winners

First Place: Julia Ramirez - Senior/Nursing/School of Nursing

Second Place: YeonJi Song - Senior/Psychology/College of Liberal Arts

Third Place: Jaylene Garcia-Abrego - Senior/Philosophy/College of Liberal Arts

Graduate/Professional Level Winners

First Place: Leah Mell-Carrington - Masters Student, Creative Writing/College of Liberal Arts

Second Place: Delight Ejiaka - Masters Student, Creative Writing/College of Liberal Arts

Third Place: Liridian Gamboa Sanchez - Masters Student, Social Work/Greenspun College of Urban Affairs