Guiding First-Generation Scholars to Victory

Lisa Banyem is a mother, first-generation American, educator, and college access advocate who has spent nearly a decade guiding first-generation and diaspora families through the American education system. As someone who understands the weight of being "the first" in a family to navigate college, influenced by her Nigerian-Igbo roots, she built MMERI Scholars to offer the support she wished her immigrant parents had known how to access.

Lisa's career spans classroom teaching, college advising, and program leadership. She has helped hundreds of students gain admission to selective universities, secure life-changing scholarships, and discover a sense of pride in their identity and story. Her advising is known for being direct, deeply caring, culturally aligned, and relentlessly student-centered. Families trust her because of her cultural competency, honesty, fierce advocacy, and commitment to equity.

Throughout her work in public education and the college access field, Lisa has designed high-impact systems, led large-scale initiatives, and created programs that close equity gaps for first-generation and low-income students. Her approach blends research-backed advising practices with an understanding of the cultural dynamics that diaspora families navigate.

MMERI Scholars is the culmination of Lisa's mission: to ensure that students who are "the first" in their families turn challenges into victories. She believes that whether you are a first-generation American, a first-generation college student, or simply the first to pursue an educational goal that looks different from your family's path, there's a place for you here.