1% of your time.

21 hours a year to help San Diego's first-gen students launch their careers.

That's a coffee chat a month, a few mock interviews, an introduction or two, and an afternoon coaching student teams. Small enough to fit your calendar. Big enough to change a student's path.

The First 42 is our founding group of San Diego leaders making this commitment, a public signal that the next generation of talent has people in its corner.

Give 1% or nominate a leader →

Take the pledge

A Future Ready SD commitment

The First 42

San Diego leaders giving 1% of their work hours to first-gen students launching their careers here.

PledgedOpen seat. Could be yours.

1%of your work time
21hours a year
$36,200of volunteer time from 42 leaders, the size of the first-gen pay gap

Why 1%?

First-gen students don't need one more program. They need people: someone to grab coffee with, run a mock interview, or make the one introduction that changes everything.

Many are working and caring for family, so they don't have time to go looking. The connection has to come to them.

21 hours × 42 leaders × $41/hour (California's volunteer value) = $36,200 in time for first-gen students. That's the same as the yearly earnings gap first-gen graduates face.

  • Commit about 21 hours a year to first-gen students. Add your name, and nominate other leaders to join you.

  • We share occasional opportunities: coffee chats, mock interviews, introductions, coaching during the challenge, and class visits.

  • Show up when it works for you. We check in lightly on your progress a couple of times a year. The rest is up to you.

What 21 hours adds up to

Small commitment. Real impact.

21
hours a year
1% of your work time
×
42
leaders
our founding group
×
$41
per hour
CA volunteer value
=
$36,200
in time for
first-gen students

That's the same as the yearly earnings gap first-gen graduates face.

“I’ve met first-gen kids who think reaching out is cheating. It’s not cheating. It’s how business is done.”

 Jodi Kantor, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, author of How to Start
Group of diverse students working together around a table in a modern classroom with laptops, whiteboard, and glass walls.

What your 1% can look like.

Coffee chats with students who are figuring out what's next.

Mock interviews and feedback on how they tell their story.

Introductions to people in your network.

Coaching during the five-day challenge, or speaking to a class or student group.

We'll share occasional ways to put your hours to work and check in lightly on your progress. The rest is up to you.

Who's already in

Leaders from across San Diego, many of them first-gen themselves.

Our first pledgers include:

Founders and CEOs of San Diego companies, consultancies, and nonprofits

Faculty, deans, and career educators from four-year universities and community colleges

Design, product, and research leaders at global defense, real estate, and software companies

Foundation, workforce, and community partnership leaders, plus executive coaches and communicators

About half were first-gen college students themselves. Their most popular ways to give their 1%: coffee chats, mock interviews, mentoring, and showing up at community events.

Join them →

Six diverse young people standing together in front of a whiteboard covered with colorful sticky notes, smiling at the camera.

Why we started The First 42

I'm a first-generation college grad. The people who changed my path were the ones who took a chance on me, made an introduction, or told me I belonged in the room. A lot of that was luck.

The First 42 is how we make it happen on purpose for San Diego's next generation of first-gen talent.

— Brian LeDuc, Founder, Future Ready SD

More About Brian
A man speaking on a stage during a TEDx event at UC San Diego, with large red and white letters spelling 'TEDxUC San Diego' behind him.

A Preview of What to Expect

  • When we finished I feel a lot of achievement (I can do something actually). There are times that I’ve wanted to pursue an idea, but sometimes life or other priorities get in the way. This built the confidence of if I want I can go out there and do it.”

    UCSD Designathon Student

  • Your lecture was one of the best I've attended this semester! I loved how interactive it was, and it was really good for laying a good foundation for knowing what you want and one of the first steps to attaining what exactly you want. One piece that really stuck with me was that you may not start where you want to and keep an open mind.

    SDSU Marketing Student

  • Brian did a fantastic job really getting to know me and my goals before trying to give me any advice. At first, I assumed coaching sessions would be the generic career advice I’ve been hearing my whole student life, but it wasn’t that at all. I feel like Brian really understood my goals, thus giving me specific advice to reach those specific goals

    CSUSM College of Business Student

  • Brian was amazing to communicate with throughout the semester, he gave great advice and our talks flowed and never felt awkward.

    CSUSM College of Business Student

  • I really liked the overall message of reaching out to people and building relationships with others to build your network. It showed me how important building connections can be.

    SDSU College of Business Student