ASU Local Grads 77% First-Gen Students to Degrees

After a 20-year pause from college, Lawrence Carroll walked across the stage summa cum laude, holding a degree in one hand and proof that second chances work in the other.

Carroll joined 16 other students at ASU Local's largest Los Angeles-area graduation on May 4. The celebration at the ASU California Center Downtown honored a cohort that reflects something rare in higher education: real accessibility for people with complicated lives.

ASU Local pairs online courses with in-person coaching and mentorship. The model serves students who can't drop everything to attend traditional college—people working full-time, raising kids, or both.

This year's graduates tell that story. Martha Fabiola Garcia, a Mexican immigrant and mother of two, earned her international relations degree magna cum laude while running a legal advocacy program for immigrant families. Jocelyn Rios managed full-time work and motherhood as part of Long Beach's first cohort. Lily Chalais commuted from Orange County, worked two jobs, and helped establish the Long Beach site while pursuing her degree.

The program now operates across six locations: Los Angeles, Long Beach, Chula Vista, Yuma, Washington D.C., and West Hawaii. It served over 350 students this academic year, with 77% identifying as first-generation college students.

The numbers back up what graduation photos show: this approach keeps students on track. Ninety-five percent of ASU Local students maintained good academic standing this year, a retention rate that traditional programs struggle to match for similar populations.

Keynote speaker Peter Murrieta, an Emmy-winning writer and professor at The Sidney Poitier New American Film School, spoke from experience. As a first-generation student himself, he emphasized what made the difference. "It's bigger than a program," he said. "It's a community. It's people showing up for each other."

Why This Inspires

Traditional college wasn't built for students like these. Evening classes help, but they don't solve the deeper problem: navigating systems designed for 18-year-olds living on campus when you're 40 with two kids and a mortgage.

ASU Local redesigned the infrastructure. Coaches check in regularly. Schedules flex around work shifts and family emergencies. Students study online but gather in person for connection and accountability—the human elements that keep people going when life gets hard.

Interim Executive Director Ina Seok captured what drives the program. "Wherever you come from doesn't determine where you can go," she said at the ceremony.

The 17 graduates proved her right, and 350 more students are working toward doing the same.