Julie Tessler brings a wealth of policy, advocacy, and leadership experience to her role as a FirstGen Ahead coach. For over two decades, Julie has served as the director of Vermont Care Partners, a trade association of community mental health... Read More

Mary Henderson understands the experiences of a first-generation college student because she was one. In reflecting on those times, she still appreciates how she benefited from the support she received as she made her way into the world post college.... Read More

Carolyn Brandes is a professional problem-solver, educator, trainer, lawyer, and mediator. She currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer at the Massachusetts Immigration and Refugee Advocacy Coalition (MIRA) and has provided legal services to people in low-income, high-conflict, or other... Read More

As experienced hiring managers and coaches for FirstGen Ahead, we have a lot advice to give our college juniors. Before giving advice, however, Michael Bungay Stanier, author of The Coaching Habit recommends saying less and asking more. This can change... Read More

Pat Canavan has had an extensive career with technology companies – Digital Equipment Corporation and Motorola Corporation – focused on business leadership, organization development, corporate governance and globalization. He was President of the Emerging Markets and opened up the China... Read More

For the past 30 years, Fern Slom worked for information technology consultancies helping her clients innovate by harnessing the benefits of leading-edge technologies. Her work cuts across sectors, including financial services, healthcare, digital media, B2B, and technology. In addition to... Read More

FirstGen Ahead is fortunate to have experienced, engaged coaches to guide our students on a one-to-one basis as they prepare to transition from college to career. Over the course of the pilot program, we’ll be featuring our coaches in this... Read More