<p>Matt Rubinoff, Executive Director of the Center for Student Opportunity, is compiling a list of famous first-generation college graduates. He is looking for the names of politicians, actors, writers, artists, business leaders, athletes, etc. (While the list will emphasize those first-gen grads whose names are likely to be known to current high school students, this is not a requirement.) </p>
<p>The list will be used for a YouTube video project in the fall that will invite people from all walks of life, who are first-generation to college, to share their stories and offer advice and encouragement to the next generation of students who will be first.</p>
<p>So if you have suggestions to contribute, please add them below.</p>
<p>My dad isn’t a household name, but he was the first American inducted into the Russian Academy of Engineering. He came from a tiny town in southwest Texas and was the first in his family to go to college. He’s still a full-time prof at age 75. I’m very proud of him.</p>
<p>Oprah Winfrey is an obvious choice. Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks. Ursula Burns at Xerox had immigrant parents and I believe they had not attended school.</p>
<p>A fair number of US presidents were first generation college grads, starting with John Adams.</p>
<p>Of the more recent presidents I’m thinking that Clinton, Carter, Ford, Nixon, and LBJ were all first generation college grads. Basically any president who rose from humble beginnings and who is himself a college grad (not all were) is likely to be first generation.</p>
<p>Actress Viola Davis (“The Help”, “Doubt”, “Eat Pray Love”, “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close”). Born on her grandma’s farm; daughter of a maid and horse trainer, grew up in “abject poverty.” </p>
<p>Graduated Rhode Island College (theater major), then on to Julliard.</p>
<p>Ruth Simmons, president of Smith College and then Brown University, was a sharecropper’s daughter from Texas. She graduated from Historically Black Dillard University in New Orleans (also spending a term at Wellesley) then earned her Masters and Doctorate at Harvard.</p>
<p>Dr. Ben Carson, Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins. He was the first surgeon to successfully separate Siamese twins and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Born in Detroit, raised by his mother after his parents divorced, went to Yale and Univ. of Michigan Medical School.</p>
<p>Ben Carson also is a really fine human being. He has a nice scholarship program that encourages kids to do public service.</p>
<p>Colin Powell? His parents were immigrants though I could not find their education levels. He did not get his bachelor’s degree until after he had served two tours in Vietnam Nam.</p>
<p>Dr. Carson seems like a great guy and was the first to separate siamese twin joined at the back of the head, but he was not the first separate siamese twins. There were some types of siamese twins being successfully separated long before Dr, Carson was born.</p>