The First-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 20 students participated in this year's contest, and three winners were selected from both the undergraduate and graduate categories. First-place winners will each receive a $1,000 scholarship provided by the Minority-Serving Institution (MSI) Student Council and the Black Mountain Institute. Second-place winners will receive a $500 scholarship, and third-place winners will receive a scholarship of $300.
The winning entries will be shared with the UNLV community as part of the 2024 Minority-Serving Institution Week activities.
Undergraduate Winners
- First Place: Evelyn Palafox, Junior in Business Administration
- Second Place: Amaya Waganer, Freshman in Health Sciences
- Third Place: Skye Calhoun, Sophomore in Psychology
Graduate/Professional Level Winners
- First Place: Delany Collins, Doctoral Student in Psychology
- Second Place: Briana Kaback-White, Master's Student in Couple and Family Therapy
- Third Place: Kaylie Kurland, Master's Student in Educational Psychology
