CANYON, Texas — West Texas A&M University soon will begin recruiting members for a new chapter of a national honor society for first-generation students.

WT’s application for membership in the Alpha Alpha Alpha honor society was approved Jan. 24, and recruitment of student members for the University’s Iota Omega chapter will begin soon, said Dr. George Pacheco Jr., chapter adviser and associate professor of communication.

“Alpha Alpha Alpha membership is another goal for our first-generation students to strive for as they progress towards graduation with their strongest foot forward,” Pacheco said. “Students who qualify for membership become part of a national organization that seeks to celebrate student success and gives the students positive recognition for their hard work.”

To be eligible, students must be in the first generation of their family to attend college, have earned more than 30 credit hours and have at least a 3.2 GPA.

Pacheco said he learned of Alpha Alpha Alpha through WT’s involvement in First-Gen Forward, through the Center for First-Generation Student Success.

WT was one of 53 institutions around the country named in March to the 2022-23 First-Gen Forward cohort.

WT, a Hispanic Serving Institution since 2016, offers numerous programs, services and initiatives for first-generation students, including the F1RSTGEN student organization.

Currently, WT’s student population is more than 50 percent first-generation.

Alpha Alpha Alpha, or Tri-Alpha, was founded in 2018 at Moravian College in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and boasts chapters in nearly every state of the country, including eight others in Texas.

Reflecting and serving the population of the Texas Panhandle, including first-generation students, is a key mission of the University’s long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

That plan is fueled by the historic One West comprehensive fundraising campaign, which reached its initial $125 million goal 18 months after publicly launching in September 2021. The campaign’s new goal is to reach $175 million by 2025; currently, it has raised more than $150 million.