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Chris Landeros at UCSB

Yo it’s Chris! I’m one of the original creators of The College Lighthouse! I started this site back in 2017 during my third year in college after noticing a big gap in college advice for first-gen college students.

I partnered with my friend Byron Rosenthal who helped me build out the site before he decided to go to Georgetown to go become a doctor or something.

Since then, I’ve been growing this site to be the #1 resource for all college students, first-gen or otherwise!

Here you’ll learn how to:

What’s the Mission?

I have one goal for The College Lighthouse: Help first-gen students be successful in college and “save the world.”

Hyperbolic, I know, but let me explain.

Most first-gen students come from communities where their familiar with homelessness, inadequate school funding, higher poverty rates, health care disparities, prolific scams, and the list goes on.

Now imagine if I was able to convince students from these areas to go college and learn from some of the brightest minds in the world. To help them cross the finish line of becoming the professionals, the critical thinkers, the heroes their communities need. 

My idea is students like us will eventually go back to the places we call home and become the doctors, lawyers, accountants, specialists, entrepreneurs, professors, and philanthropists our communities need. The possibilities are limitless.

We’ll become the change our communities need. This impact can create the compounding ripples we need to help make our society, better, especially for the one’s who need it most.

My goal is to help us get there.

Check out my Most Popular Articles:

All my articles take weeks of research and revisions to write. But here are the ones that people seem to enjoy the most:

Check out the YouTube Channel:

I’ve always wanted to make videos but didn’t really have the skills to do so. But now with some new expertise, I hoping to fill the gaps in college-related content on how to win at college through the lens of a first-gen student.

Right now I’m launching an interview series getting the insights and stories from first-gen college grads. You can watch the playlist on YouTube here:


Our most popular video to date is a Day In The Life Video at UCSB and hope to do more like it. Not just at UCSB but in colleges all over California.

If you want to see what else me and the team have made, check out the channel!

I plan to make more videos on:

My Essential List for ALL Students:

Whenever I come across an idea that EVERYONE needs to know, I linked it down here. I truly believe education is the key to finding success in this crazy world and I’ve written in-depth articles on subjects I think are THE MOST ESSENTIAL TOPICS ON THE PLANET!

If you just graduated college or you’re in your early 20s, this list is for you:

If you have any recommendations on topics to cover, please let me know. I’m always looking for the next essential topic to break down. The more resources I have, the better I sleep at night knowing it’s out there helping students who were in the same shoes as I was.

Follow me on Twitter @ChrisLanderos_

Final Thoughts

So you made it this far and still want to know what it’s all for?

I made this site with the goal to support first-gen college students on their journey to college and beyond. But it’s grown and so has my definition of what a first-gen student is.

The College Lighthouse was originally made to support first-gen college students on their journey to college and beyond. Through my (hopefully practical) articles and videos, I want to offer the next generation of college students all the practical advice I wish we had. But really this site is made for any life-long learner trying to level up their learning.

Whether you’re trying to figure out how to talk to professors, struggle with standing out in lectures, or simply want some direction, The College Lighthouse has your back. Although this platform was made with first-gen, low-income, or underrepresented students in mind, I want all students who feel lost or stuck to reap the benefits of the resources I spent hours on making.

The site has 20+ detailed articles and videos, offering the next generation of college students all the practical advice I wish I had. My goal is to show other first gen college students that, despite all the uncertainty, they can still be successful at college.

I ultimately hope to bridge the academic gaps in education through our articles, tips, and videos on how to win at college. So stay tuned for more!

– Chris

The College Lighthouse Team (basically just me lol)