First2College

Inspiration

Uzbekistan is a country where I am considered a second-class citizen because of my gender and discouraged from pursuing education because of societal expectations that women should take on traditional household roles.

I realized that college held power to shape my future: it would decide whether I would be a college student or a housewife at eighteen. So I bolstered my education throughout my high school years to pave a path of independence for myself, and hoped I could get into college in the US and avoid the same fate of young marriage that I watched so many girls in my family go through.

However, this road was not free of obstacles: I experienced first-hand how incredibly daunting the college application process is for first-generation and low-income students, who face extra challenges due to socioeconomic limitations.

That's how I came up with First2College for the challenge of creating an innovative solution for structural inequality in our world. An app like this would give students like myself access to resources to help in applying to college, like finding the right school, help with financial aid, and a way to connect with another for support.

I sat on my laptop one night just a few months ago, refreshing my email for my much-anticipated college decision to be released. Finally, at 4 AM I got the notification that my status had been updated, and I took a deep breath before I clicked to see my decision. At the sight of the word “Congratulations”, I yelled so loud that I woke up our next-door neighbors! Not only did I get into my dream school that night (Barnard College of Columbia University!) I made history as the first female AND the first person in my family to have gotten into college. Getting a college education gives me the power to influence my own destiny and take charge of my life, and I want others to have the same opportunity.

Built With

• glide