When Vanessa Perez Rojas began her first year at Saint Mary’s College in Moraga, she recalled feeling a bit lost and out of place. Growing up in San Francisco with parents who migrated from Mexico and El Salvador, she said she wasn’t exposed to much information about college.

“I had no idea how to even declare a major. I didn’t really even know where to look,” said the 21-year-old speaking from campus, where graduation celebrations often include mariachi bands and taco bars.

Perez Rojas knew of Saint Mary’s because her older brother had attended — which gave her the confidence that she could find support as a first-generation college student. More than one-third of St. Mary’s students are Latino, and the school is designated a Hispanic Serving Institution, a federal program that allows

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