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This year, Colorado Mesa University (CMU) celebrated National First-Gen Day on October 17, 2025. Recognizing First-Gen Day is a powerful way to honor the trailblazers across our campus—especially meaningful at CMU, where 44% of students are first-generation. Recognized by the Colorado Department of Higher Education as a First-Gen Serving Institution , CMU takes pride in supporting this community. All students were invited to join in the celebration with a fun and welcoming BBQ!
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Planning for the First-Gen BBQ began in the summer to ensure that the First-Gen BBQ would be unforgettable. First-Gen Day was planned by the CMU First-Gen Task Force. The First-Gen Task Force at CMU focuses on supporting students through first-gen-focused events, data collection and research, pre-collegiate programming, and more. The Task Force is supported by faculty and staff on campus, from student support offices to academic departments. The goal of the Task Force is to work across campus to improve outcomes and engagement for first-gen students. CMU’s First Gen Task Force works year-round to make differences in the lives of first-gen Mavericks. This year, the First-Gen Task Force prioritized a fun and engaging First-Gen Celebration by hearing from inspiring campus leaders, eating good food, grabbing fun shirts, and striving to include all Mavericks in the fun. What better way to include all students on a sunny Colorado day than a campus-wide BBQ?
When October 17th finally rolled around, the campus was excited for a fun BBQ celebration. With more than 300+ students attending the BBQ, the excitement and energy was high from start to finish! The campus Student Life department provided the music and stage; our very own mascot, Rowdy the Maverick, joined the fun, and the TRIO program fired up the grill to serve students. Staff and faculty handed out celebratory first-gen shirts that first-gen students voted on the design for! This made the shirts even more special for the celebration.
In addition, first-gen magnets and pins were also handed out to show our first-gen maverick pride. Students were interviewed by CMU Marketing to hear from them about why they are pursuing higher education, who inspired them to do that, and their own personal first-gen story. Check out this video to see how our students enjoyed the BBQ, shared their first-gen stories, and spoke about why they are inspired to go to college:
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At noon, we heard a special message from Senior Vice President of Student Services Dr. Roberto Montoya, about why we celebrate First-Gen Day. We closed out the day with more student interviews, photos, sharing more BBQ food, handing out more shirts, and sharing laughs together.
The First-Gen BBQ represented CMU’s values of love, humility, dignity, resilience, power, and curiosity. At CMU, we encourage all students to blaze their own trail and recognize that a special celebration to celebrate first-gen Mavericks is a fun way to bring those values to life. This year’s BBQ was a great opportunity to spotlight our first-gen community and honor their achievements. CMU continues to champion first-gen success through the First-Gen+ Support Center and proudly holds the title of First-Gen Serving Institution.
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For more information on Colorado Mesa University's approach, please visit their website.
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