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A new scholarship at Georgia Gwinnett College (GGC) will help first-generation college students reduce the cost of their education. Generally, first generation students are defined as those whose parents did not complete a four-year college or university degree.

Made possible by a $250,000 pledge to the Georgia Gwinnett College Foundation from Peach State Federal Credit Union (Peach State), the initiative, called The Peach State Federal Credit Union First-generation Scholars Program, will provide scholarships funded by an endowment. The endowment will allow this scholarship to live in perpetuity.

Once fully funded, The Peach State Federal Credit Union First-generation Scholars Program will provide a $2,500 scholarship to an incoming freshman. The scholarship can be renewed annually for four years, totaling $10,000.

“This will be a very significant program for our students,” said GGC President Jann L. Joseph. “In many cases, scholarships are the difference between students who drop out of school and those who move on to graduate.”

Joseph said that she’s thankful for the continuing support from Peach State, who have invested in GGC through academic scholarships, student engagement and participation in GGC’s Corporate Affiliates Program.

Peach State President/CEO Marshall Boutwell currently serves on the Board of Visitors in the college’s School of Business. Boutwell believes it is important that all students have the opportunity to better their lives and achieve their goals, and education is the key to that success.

“We were founded more than 60 years ago by educators. Staying true to those roots is very important to us as a credit union and something that we strive to support through the work of the Peach State FCU C.A.R.E.S. Foundation. We’re thrilled this endowment will create scholarships for first-generation students. It is our hope that this support will help them achieve their goals, and positively impact their lives and the lives of their families,” said Boutwell.

More than 35% of GGC students are the first in their families to attend college. Data from the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators shows that one in three undergraduates – or nearly five million students – identify themselves as first-generation students. In Georgia, nearly 38 percent of college students are the first in their families to attend college.