蜜桃传媒

BUFFALO, N.Y. — About one-third of the more than 19,000 undergraduates at the 蜜桃传媒 are the first in their family to attend college. This percentage has grown steadily over the past decade.

These students come from every corner of New York State and beyond. They enhance the cultural fabric of UB, New York’s flagship university, and are leaders in the classroom as well as the Buffalo Niagara region. They radiate determination and ambition, and they inspire others to pursue higher education as a path toward upward mobility.

Here are the stories of four impressive first-generation students who received undergraduate diplomas in May.

Maymuna Akter

Maymuna Akter came to UB as a Bangladeshi immigrant with the goals of forging a stable career in the health care industry ­and providing financial support to her family.

She is clearly on her way. With a 3.95 GPA, Akter graduated with a bachelor’s degree in biomedical sciences and a minor in nutrition from the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences on May 18. She plans to work in at least one health care setting this summer and apply to physician assistant (PA) programs.

“I chose the PA path because I can start practicing medicine earlier,” she says. “And PAs have a lot of flexibility with specialties, which is attractive.”

After spending the first part of her childhood in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Akter immigrated with her family to the United States in 2015. They spent a year in New York City and then relocated to Buffalo where she attended City Honors School.

Her parents had to halt their own schooling at very young ages and viewed education as the pathway to a better life.

“My parents sent me to private school in Dhaka,” she says, “It cost a lot, and they weren’t able to do that for my younger sister.”

At the encouragement of an uncle who has lived in the U.S. for 40 years, they decided to make New York home. In Buffalo, Akter’s father found work in a factory. Her mother stayed home and cared for the growing family of five children.

Akter, who excelled in high school, says she chose UB for its myriad unique academic majors,  affordability, research opportunities and diverse student body.

While completing her degree, Akter founded a campus UNICEF Unite Club, served as a teaching assistant and conducted research in UB’s Nutritional Health Research Lab.

From that experience, she applied to the Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program (CSTEP) Summer Research Internship, where she was matched with a mentor to conduct research in the Pharmacology Department in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

“My ultimate goal is to support my family, particularly my parents who faced challenges during their immigration to the United States,” she says. “I want to make the journey worthwhile.”

Gabrielle Alexis

For years, higher education felt like a shining but elusive dream to Gabrielle Alexis.

Born in the United States, Alexis grew up in Haiti with a goal of pursuing higher education. After graduating from high school in 2014, she moved to Florida with her mother and stepfather, hoping college would soon follow. Despite working with her family in an office cleaning business, Alexis didn’t have the funds to make college a reality.

After her stepfather and beloved uncle passed away, she says her support system further diminished. She moved to New York City and started taking classes at SUNY Westchester. However, she felt lost and confused about her future. She dropped out after one semester.

“As a first-generation college student, I didn’t have anyone to guide me,” she explains.

In 2018, she joined the National Guard, attracted by its offer to pay for schooling. When she returned from her initial training, Alexis lost a job and her housing, floating among friends’ couches in Queens to survive.

During the coronavirus pandemic, she had an epiphany while working with the National Guard. They were helping medical examiners deal with the overwhelming numbers of deaths in those early days and providing support to the family members.

“I suddenly felt prepared and confident to try to go back to school,” she says, “and I knew exactly what I wanted to learn.”

After completing an associate’s degree in paralegal studies at SUNY Westchester, Alexis transferred to UB in 2023 to pursue an undergraduate degree in law with a sociology minor. She became a part of the TrACE program, which provides academic support, career guidance and financial services to transfer students. She also served as a transfer ambassador in the Office of Admissions where she helped students who were considering making the switch to UB.

In December, Alexis completed her bachelor’s degree with a 3.8 GPA from the College of Arts and Sciences and received her diploma on May 18. She now plans to attend law school.

“A few years ago, being where I am today was nothing but a silly dream,” she says. “Now, the future finally seems bright again.”

Hector Cedeno Herrera

When Hector Cedeno Herrera visited UB during his senior year of high school, he fell in love.

“I fell in love with the large campus. I also fell in love with how many opportunities are offered here and what’s available for my specific focus — finance and data analytics,” says Herrera, who grew up in Wallkill, New York, a town of approximately 2,000 residents in the Hudson Valley.

Herrera received his bachelor’s degree from the School of Management on May 16, and just as importantly, gained leadership skills that have helped him launch a career in business.

The eldest of three children of Mexican immigrant parents — a horse farm operations manager and a stay-at-home mom, Herrera says he’s always been ambitious. But he describes himself as reserved in high school, and he didn’t get too involved outside of the classroom.

That all changed at UB. During his sophomore year, he joined Delta Sigma Pi, a professional business fraternity, which opened many doors. A fellow student invited him to a meeting of the Buffalo Undergraduate Consulting Club.

“At that time, I honestly didn’t know what a consultant was,” he says.

Herrera quickly became conversant in the consulting world, as he got involved in the club where students work with real businesses on problem-solving projects. He was elected project manager, then director of client engagement, and finally, president.

“I really enjoyed what the club had to offer, and I made it a goal to lead the club,” Herrera says. “It’s been my proudest accomplishment. I love the nature of constantly communicating with the clients, doing research, pulling data, and working in a team setting.”

Herrera also served as a first-generation peer mentor and co-founder of the Buffalo chapter of the Association of Latino Professionals for America (ALPFA), which empowers Latino and underrepresented students through professional development.

Last summer, he landed an internship at NielsenIQ, a market research and consumer insights company, as a customer success strategist in the health care division. And he’s been offered a full-time position with DaVita Kidney Care. In September, he will join the company’s Denver, Colo., office to work in corporate strategy.

“This is what I want to do — continue to make a difference, learn, and grow,” he says. “I’m really grateful for all the opportunities and experiences I’ve found at UB.”

Kimberly Pham

When Kimberly Pham was growing up, her mother was injured in an accident, causing her to lose her job, and the family lost their housing.

The unfortunate series of event thrust Pham into the role of caregiver. She ferried her mother to numerous doctors’ appointments and translated for her mother, whose first language is Vietnamese, while searching for government housing options for the family. 

“Many of the health care workers were committed to helping my mother regardless of the language barrier,” Pham says. “Not only did they teach me ways I could help my mother at home with physical therapy and stretches, but they also motivated me in school. They wanted to help others, and I knew that was exactly what I wanted to do.”

Pham exceeded her goals. She graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor of arts in psychology and served as speaker at one of the two College of Arts and Sciences commencement ceremonies on May 18. She also completed the ROTC program at UB and will commission into the U.S. Army as an officer.

“My sister, who joined the military right after high school, and my uncle, who also served, have been my role models in resilience and service,” Pham says.

Pham received many awards, including the George K. Fraley Scholarship, Erie County Excellence Award, 2023 Cadet of the Year Award, and the Battalion Commander’s Athletic Award. She also is a two-time participant in the Department of Defense Project Global Officer program, where she studied Mandarin in Taipei, Taiwan, and Arabic in Amman, Jordan.

Pham worked multiple part-time jobs and took city buses to campus, all while participating as an active member of the Pre-Health Student Association and the Psi Chi International Honor Society. She also served as an ambassador for the American Red Cross and helped her peers by serving as a tutor, notetaker and first-generation student ambassador.

Now, Pham plans to pursue graduate studies in psychology. Her goal is to support mental wellness in underserved communities both in the U.S. and developing countries.

“As a first-generation college student, I often felt like I was figuring things out on my own,” she says. “But through it all, my mother was my constant reminder to keep learning, to keep moving forward with my head held high.”