The artwork created with chalk on sidewalks across UC Riverside is more than just pretty pictures.

The drawings are symbolic of big achievements: students becoming the first in their family to go to a university.

The artistic activity is part of First Gen Week, which marks the First-Generation College Celebration taking place this week at UCR and at university campuses across the nation.

UCR recognizes first-generation students, faculty members and employees whose parents or guardians did not earn a four-year degree.

Of UCR’s undergraduate students, 51% are first-generation, compared to a 34% national average, UCR’s website states. About 46% of UCR students who started in fall 2022 are first-generation, while 60% of 2022 transfer students meet the definition, according to UCR.

The chalk drawings, made around the Bell Tower and Hinderaker Hall, will remain until Monday, Nov. 13.