San Antonio is one of the most economically segregated cities in the United States. This negatively affects the educational opportunities for students living in impoverished areas. Many of the economically disadvantaged students are people of color who have been historically underrepresented. As a result, many of these students are the first in their families to navigate through SAT/ACT's, college admissions, scholarships, and financial aid. First to College will help increase an underrepresented high school's college enrollment and retention rate by pairing UTSA college students and underrepresented High School students. First to College will be a dedicated program that will lead and guide students to higher education, and continue the battle against the structural inequalities in San Antonio that allow poverty to prevail. However, we understand that many students of color face social barriers in their daily life, and as a result, it impedes them from concentrating in school. First to College will also ensure these students are provided with social support from peer mentors to aid them throughout high school, and help them escape the vicious cycle of poverty.

During the first month of the program, ATE and First to College will recruit 25+ First to College volunteer members to participate in the program. We will also have an orientation that will explain in depth the peer mentor's role and the impact they will have in San Antonio. During that same month, ATE and First to College representatives will go to Brackenridge High School to discuss with students across grade levels and explain what the program is, including how we can guide and orient the high school students to help them maximize their opportunities of attending a university. We will also begin the process of pairing up high school students to First to College peer mentors.

During the second month, we will officially start the peer mentorship program. Due to the uncertainty of COVID-19, as of now, peer mentors will meet biweekly with high school students through the online video communications platform known as Google Hangouts. If circumstances improve, First to College peer mentors will be more than welcome to create in-person meetings within the campus under supervision. Additionally, we will measure our impact through the use of online surveys that will give us feedback allowing us to improve.

During the third month, we will be conducting statistical data within each grade level and comparing the retention rates to previous years. We will also be comparing and contrasting the senior's college acceptance rates from previous years and comparing them to the 2020 term.

During the fourth month, we will reach out to other high schools within San Antonio to expand our program's resources. That same month, we will have reached and helped out hundreds of high school students who will keep on pursuing their academic dreams to escape the cycle of poverty.