For counselors to provide appropriate and needed support to first-generation college students, understanding students’ lived experiences as they navigate the higher education continuum is essential. This session will focus on findings of a FGCS support group and a phenomenological study of first-generation doctoral students of color. Recommendations for including their experiences in the counselor education curriculum, as well as advocacy strategies to create and cultivate equity, will be discussed.For counselors to provide appropriate, needed support for first-generation college students, understanding their lived experiences as they navigate the higher education continuum is essential. This session will focus on findings of a FGCS support group and a phenomenological study of first-generation doctoral students of color. Recommendations for including their experiences in the counselor education curriculum as well as advocacy strategies to create and cultivate equity will be discussed.