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First Graduate Raises Over $344,000 at Sold-Out 25th Anniversary Cap & Gown Celebration
San Francisco nonprofit celebrates 25 years of helping students become the first in their families to graduate from college
29 May 2026 — San Francisco, CA: First Graduate, the San Francisco nonprofit dedicated to helping students become the first in their families to graduate from college and enter meaningful careers, raised over $344,000 last night at its sold-out Cap & Gown 2026celebration.
The evening brought together students, alumni, families, donors, board members, school partners, community leaders and supporters to mark First Graduate’s 25th anniversary and celebrate the life-changing impact of its 12-year-plus model of support — from middle school through college graduation and into the workforce. The event followed First Graduate’s broader anniversary messaging around its long-term commitment to academic support, mentoring, family engagement, college counseling, career exploration and scholarship assistance.
“Every student deserves the opportunity to graduate from college,” said Gopa Dasari, President of First Graduate’s Board and event co-chair. “That simple truth drives everything we do at First Graduate. Thanks to the generosity of this community, our impact is growing, and more young people will have the opportunity to see college not as a distant dream, but as a real and achievable future.”
Last evening’s program at San Francisco’s storied InterContinental Mark Hopkins on Nob Hill featured powerful remarks from First Graduate students and alumni, including Josselin Garcia Lopez, an eighth grader at James Denman Middle School who will enter Lowell High School this fall; Fernando Estrella Zapata, a senior at City Arts and Leadership High School who will attend San Francisco State University to study kinesiology; and Giovanna Andrade, a recent graduate of the University of California, Merced, who earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in management, business and economics.
“I hope you’ll all support First Graduate tonight, because it helps students like me — students who didn’t think college was possible — realize that we can graduate and have good careers,” said Garcia Lopez during the program. “I’m grateful to all of you, to First Graduate, and especially to my mom, who has always encouraged me to pursue a dream we both share: for me to become the first in our family to graduate from college.”
The evening also honored Jess Smith, President of the Golden State Valkyries, as First Graduate’s First in Family Honoree. Unable to attend in person because the Valkyries were playing the Indiana Fever that evening, Smith sent a special video message to the Cap & Gown audience. In a memorable shared moment, the video was also shown simultaneously to 19,000 fans at Chase Center, home of the Valkyries and Golden State Warriors. The honoree segment was introduced by Ay’Anna Moody, Executive Director of the Golden State Community Foundation, and Abby Tamerat, a First Graduate student and sophomore at Galileo High School, who had interviewed Smith prior to the event.
The evening also recognized First Graduate founder Ann-Eve Hazen, whose vision launched the organization in 2000, and celebrated the many board members, alumni, staff, interns, volunteers, school partners and supporters who have helped sustain and grow the organization over the past quarter century.
“This event sold out two weeks ago, and looking around this room, I understand why,” said Jenina Soto, First Graduate board member and event co-chair. “You’re here because you believe in our students, our mission, and the life-changing power of education. For 25 years, your support has helped hundreds of students become the first in their families to graduate from college. They’re now doctors, engineers, teachers, entrepreneurs and community leaders giving back — to First Graduate and beyond.”
First Graduate currently supports nearly 500 enrolled students and 243 alumni, with total students and alumni served expected to approach 750 this fall. The organization works in partnership with Everett Middle School, James Denman Middle School, Visitacion Valley Middle School and Lowell High School, providing sustained academic, college and career support to students and their families.
During the evening, auctioneer Greg Quiroga led guests through a live auction and Fund-a-Need appeal, reminding attendees that every $5,000 funds one student’s complete journey through First Graduate for one year, including academic support, college counseling, career exposure and mentorship.
“Tonight, you raised $344,000 to support First Graduate students,” said Terri Forman, First Graduate CEO. “More students will visit college campuses for the first time — and realize that they belong there. More students will receive personalized college counseling from people who believe in them. More families will celebrate college acceptance letters. And ultimately, more young people will walk across graduation stages, forever changing the future for their families.”
“For 25 years, First Graduate has shown what is possible when a community believes deeply in its young people,” said Forman. “When we invest in our students, when we walk alongside them through every challenge, and when we open doors to opportunity, extraordinary things happen.”
For more than two decades, First Graduate has been dedicated to breaking the cycle of poverty through education by supporting underserved students from middle school through college graduation. The organization’s mission is rooted in the belief that a college education changes not only one life, but entire families and communities for generations to come.
About First Graduate:
First Graduate is a San Francisco-based nonprofit that helps students become the first in their families to graduate from college and enter meaningful careers. Through a comprehensive, long-term model that begins in middle school and continues through college graduation, First Graduate provides academic support, mentoring, family engagement, college counseling, career exploration and scholarship assistance. For more information, visit firstgraduate.org.
