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Jessica McMullin, a first generation student on the Raymond Campus, came to ��«Ӱҵ for a very important reason: to set an example for her children.

“Even though being a first-generation student is difficult, I push through because I want my kids to have someone to look up to; someone to set an example for them.”

McMullin says that coming from a family where education was not a major priority has made it difficult to transition.

“You don’t realize what a disadvantage you’re at until you have to go into something blind and figure it out yourself,” she said. “Not having parents that knew about emerging technology has really made simple things like completing my math homework online a struggle.”

But with ��«Ӱҵ being conveniently located, affordable and flexible enough to allow her to maintain a work schedule, McMullin feels sure that she will succeed in attaining her associate’s degree and moving towards her career goal of becoming an accountant.

McMullin is the recipient of the Liles and Ruth Ann Williams Scholarship through the ��«Ӱҵ Foundation, which works to provide financial assistance through scholarships to help deserving students. Scholarship funding assists with a variety of expenses, from full tuition to covering the cost of books. For the fall 2011-2012 academic year, the  awarded 485 scholarships with a total value of more than $470,000.