Lessons Learned from a Career-Readiness Education Abroad Program for First-Generation Undergraduates

First-generation students are typically underrepresented in education abroad. First-generation students are missing out on the demonstrated positive outcomes of an education abroad experience, making this a serious opportunity gap. To address this problem, the University of Kentucky (UK), a large public land-grant, flagship research university in the southeast United States launched a new program developed for first-generation undergraduate students called “Explore First: Careers, Cultures, and Connections.” This program was designed to remove or reduce barriers to participation and to provide maximum value to the students. This contribution to Notes From the Field describes the problem the program seeks to address, outlines the program and its goals, offers some preliminary reflections, and shares some early lessons learned.