by Naquela Kirk, assistant director of Student Affairs Marketing and Communications

The University of Alabama at Birmingham’s annual First-Generation College Celebration luncheon brought together university administrators, students, faculty, and staff to highlight the resilience and achievements of first-generation college students. President Ray L. Watts, opened the program by introducing guest speaker Sid Trant, Chancellor of the University of Alabama System, and offering remarks on the transformative impact that a college education can have on first-generation students and their families. During the event, Trant shared his personal journey from Geneva, Alabama, to leading one of the state’s largest educational enterprises.

Trant, a first-generation college graduate himself, addressed attendees with reflections on his upbringing, where his parents instilled in him the belief that education was the key to a better life. “My parents wanted a better life for their kids, and they knew that education was the way to provide it,” Trant shared. “I didn’t know what I was doing when I first arrived on campus in Tuscaloosa, but I showed up, stayed determined, and kept moving forward. One day led to the next and eventually to a life that education transformed.”

He recalled how his early years at the University of Alabama were filled with uncertainty and self-discovery. Without formal guidance programs or first-generation support networks at the time, he relied on determination and his curiosity to navigate college life.

Now serving as Chancellor of the University of Alabama System, Trant leads a network that includes UAB and a $18 billion enterprise serving more than 70,000 students and employing nearly 67,000 people statewide.

Trant praised UAB’s leadership in advancing first-generation initiatives, recognizing the university as one of only 16 institutions nationwide distinguished by the First Scholars Network as a leader in first-generation student support. He also highlighted the collaboration between Student Affairs and the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) through the First-Generation Advisory Board, led by Mary Wallace, Ph.D., assistant vice president for Student Experience, and Kecia Thomas, Ph.D., dean of CAS, and celebrated programs like First Blazers.

Trant also expressed gratitude to UAB faculty and staff who mentor and support first-generation students, acknowledging their vital role in helping students build confidence and achieve success. “When you tell a student, ‘You belong here,’ you’re changing lives,” he said. “Every student who walks across the graduation stage represents not just individual achievement, but the ripple effect of transformation that impacts families and communities for generations.”

As students and guests reflected on Trant’s words, the luncheon served as a reminder that being the first is both a challenge and a triumph and that at UAB, first-generation students are seen, supported, and celebrated.