Leadership
Team
Meet the Founders
Who We Are
Anthony Surratt
Founder & President
As a proud first‑generation college graduate who went on to earn both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree, Anthony knows firsthand what it feels like to navigate higher education without a roadmap. After spending more than 20 years working in higher education and seeing countless students face the same challenges, he felt called to create a national community where first‑gen college students and allies can connect, empower one another, and grow together.
His advice to new first‑generation students is simple: build your support system, ask every question you can think of (and even the ones you can’t), and stay engaged with the people and resources around you. Anthony’s favorite quote, “Life is like a mirror. What you put into it is what you get out of it…so keep reflecting greatness,” guides both his leadership and his life.
If his journey were a book, it would be titled Lessons Learned, a testament to turning adversity into wisdom and using every experience as a chance to uplift others.
Emily Surratt
Founder & CAO
As a Korean adoptee who later reunited with her birth family, Emily connects deeply with the first‑generation college students.
Discovering that her birth parents had not attended college helped her understand her own identity through a new lens, one shaped by resilience, belonging, and the courage to embrace who you are. When she and her husband, Anthony, envisioned a national community for first‑generation students and alumni, she saw an opportunity to bring people together, strengthen engagement, and partner with institutions committed to supporting this unique population.
Her advice to first‑generation college students is rooted in authenticity: own your story and be proud of who you are. Guided by Eleanor Roosevelt’s reminder that courage grows when we face our fears, she approaches life with a “just keep swimming” mindset, moving forward one step at a time, even through uncertainty, and helping others do the same.
