
Investment into Impact: Calculating and Communicating ROI for First-Generation Student Initiatives
Includes a Live Web Event on 04/11/2025 at 3:30 PM (EDT)
This workshop explores the return on investment (ROI) of targeted support strategies for first-generation college students. Attendees will gain insights into how investing in tailored academic, financial, and social support systems can enhance student success and institutional outcomes. Participants will learn practical approaches for implementing effective support programs, measuring their impact, and aligning these initiatives with institutional goals to optimize resources for first-generation students.
Learning Outcomes
1. Express what ROI is and why it matters
2. Recognize and apply relevant metrics to assess the effectiveness and impact of their initiatives
3. Practice ROI calculations and analyses for individual programs

Martina A. Martin, Ed.D.
Assistant Vice President, Network Success
First Gen Forward
Martina Martin serves as director of expert guidance with the Center for First-generation Student Success, an initiative of NASPA and The Suder Foundation. Prior to joining NASPA, Martina served as associate director for the University of Kentucky’s student community resources and services and as the program director for first-generation student services and off-campus student services. For over a decade, Martina assisted in developing university-wide first-generation initiatives focused on recruitment, retention, and career and professional development.
Martina is a proud first-generation college graduate of Eastern Kentucky University, where she earned a B.S. in physical education, an M.S. in physical education-sports administration, an M.A. in human services-student personnel services in higher education, and an Ed.D. in educational leadership and policy studies. Martina resides in Georgetown, Kentucky with her husband, Ricky Stone, Jr.

Ashlee Kocina Young
Associate Director, Expert Guidance
First Gen Forward
Ashlee Kocina Young serves as associate director for Expert Guidance with FirstGen Forward. Prior to joining FGF, Ashlee held a dual-appointment at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. As the Assistant Director of the William H. Thompson Scholars Learning Community, a large, comprehensive college transition program for recipients of the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation Scholarship, Ashlee was responsible for community engagement programming and assessment. In her role as the Coordinator for First Generation Nebraska, Ashlee co-managed university-wide first-generation initiatives and served as the primary contact with Nebraska’s involvement as an inaugural First-gen Forward Institution, and in an advisory capacity. A first-generation college graduate, Ashlee holds an M.Ed. in higher education administration from the University of Missouri-St. Louis, and a B.A. in psychology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She is currently working on completing a Ph.D. in leadership studies, with a focus on multicultural leadership perspectives and baccalaureate first-generation leadership development at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Wendy Beesley
Expert Guidance Coach
First Gen Forward
Wendy Beesley serves as the director for Expert Guidance with FirstGen Forward. Prior to joining FGF, Wendy was the assistant dean for student success at SUNY Ulster County Community College. She was also a member of the coaching leadership team and served as lead coach for the State University of New York’s Guided Pathways project, where she worked with SUNY colleges engaging in the work of institutional transformation. In addition, Wendy worked with the New York Student Success Center (NYSSSC) to develop and deliver training opportunities through the NYSSSC Coaching Academy. Wendy holds an M.P.A and a B.A in political science from Marist College. She is currently completing a Ph.D. at the University at Albany–The State University of New York in educational policy and leadership with a focus on the progression of institutional change theory.
Continuing Education Credits
CSAED
This session counts for 1.0 CSAEd-CORE credit
NASPA has been approved by the Higher Education Consortium for Student Affairs Certification to provide CE credit for Certified Student Affairs Educators (CSAEd). NASPA is solely responsible for all aspects of this program.
Guidelines for earning CE credit:
No partial credit will be rewarded.
Participants must also complete the feedback survey in the Online Learning Community.
1 Credit is available for attending the live session or viewing the on-demand recording.
To receive CSAEd credit, attendees must complete the feedback survey that offers the certification in each session. Once you have attended all the live sessions or watched the on-demand sessions for which you would like to request credit, visit the Continuing Education (CE) website to fill out the Student Affairs Education Certification Request Form for all the sessions. All certificants must fill out one for the live session and a separate one for the on-demand sessions. Visit the Continued Education (CE) website to learn more regarding deadlines and receive your certificate of completion for the Virtual Conference.
NBCC
This session counts for 1 NBCC credit
NASPA has been approved by the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC) as an Approved Continuing Education Provider for live events.
Participants can receive a maximum of 13 clock hours for attending live sessions at this event. All eligible sessions are identified in the “Credit Information” tab at the top of the individual sessions. To receive credit, please complete the “Feedback Survey” found within each individual session under the “Continuing Education” section. Once the feedback surveys for all attended sessions are complete, complete this request form; a certificate documenting the number of hours of live sessions you attended will be emailed to you within two weeks of you submitting the form.
The deadline to request NBCC continuing education certificates for this event is May 12, 2025. For questions regarding continuing education, please email continuingeducation@naspa.org