© 2026 ABC News

\"GMA\" is spotlighting the stories of first-generation students. Explore our full coverage.

Common's message to first-gen students

Common, a graduate from Florida A&M University, shared an inspirational message for our GMA First-Gen series to students who are the first in their families to go to college to push forward.

\"Keep going, keep excelling, you have achieved something that is great by reaching college, but continue the journey and make sure you are pursuing something you are passionate about,\" said Common.

The college experience for all students, including first-generation students, will have its share of obstacles, he said, but they are all surmountable if you have the right perspective.

\"To students who are struggling,\" he said, \"No matter where you go, there are always going to be some challenges. There's always going to be some struggles. The people you see out there shining, they still have been through struggles, they still will go through struggles.\"

\"[Look] at those struggles as what you can learn. ... How can you change that into a positive? Each struggle creates progress,\" he added.

Common partnered with Burlington Stores through AdopotAClassroom.org to donate $10,000 to P.S. 111, a public school in New York City's Hell's Kitchen neighborhood.

\"We felt that the $10,000 would really help these teachers who have put so much time and energy and actually spent their own money to support and get supplies,\" he added.

","canonicalUrl":"https://abcnews.com/GMA/Culture/rapper-commons-advice-students-struggle-creates-progress/story?id=56925184","legacySlug":"/culture/story/rapper-commons-advice-students-struggle-creates-progress-56925184","noIndexNoFollow":false},"publishTime":"08:02","publishDate":"08-21-2018","updatedTime":"14:15","updatedDate":"08-23-2018","socialImage":{"alt":"Actor, rapper Common attends the 16th annual Chrysalis Butterfly Ball on June 3, 2017 in Brentwood, Calif.","credit":"ABC Photo Illustration/Getty Images","ratio":"16x9","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/common-illo-gma-gty-psfix-180823_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg","width":992,"height":558},"datePublished":"8/21/2018 08:02:00 GMT","video":{"live":false,"id":56925184,"headline":"Rapper Common to students: Learn from struggle","mediaAssetTitle":"SCOTT_Common_FirstGen_Advice ","description":"Common tells students about the value of an education.","duration":"1:11","posterImg":{"url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","width":608,"height":342},"video":{"feed":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2018/08/180810_gma_digital_culture_commonadvice_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8"},"playlist":["56566897","56564694","55890946"]},"relatedItems":[{"contentType":"story","date":"August 16, 2018","headline":"Amid immigration debate, 1st-generation college students are revolutionizing campuses","section":"living","slug":"/living/story/center-immigration-debate-generation-college-students-revolutionizing-campuses-56566897","id":56566897,"image":{"alt":"Amid immigration debate, 1st-generation college students are revolutionizing campuses","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/US/grajeda-family-graduation-ht-hb-180713_hpMain_4x3t_240.jpg","credit":"Courtesy Ana Laura Govea Grajeda","ratio":"1x1"}},{"contentType":"story","date":"August 15, 2018","headline":"Student debt crisis: This 28-year-old mom is 'drowning' in $80,000 of debt","section":"living","slug":"/living/story/student-debt-crisis-28-year-mom-80000-debt-56564694","id":56564694,"image":{"alt":"Student debt crisis: This 28-year-old mom is 'drowning' in $80,000 of debt","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/Lifestyle/khallilah-beecham1-ht-ml-180718_hpMain_v12x5_4x3t_240.jpg","credit":"Khallilah Beecham","ratio":"1x1"}},{"contentType":"story","date":"June 14, 2018","headline":"Michelle Obama's 5 tips for first-generation students on their way to college","section":"culture","slug":"/culture/story/michelle-obamas-tips-generation-students-college-55890946","id":55890946,"image":{"alt":"Michelle Obama's 5 tips for first-generation students on their way to college","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/Entertainment/michelle-obama-gty-jpo-180614_hpMain_4x3t_240.jpg","credit":"Shannon Finney/Getty Images","ratio":"1x1"}}],"relatedContentSection":"news","schemaContent":{"name":"Rapper Common to students: Learn from struggle","description":"Common tells students about the value of an education.","duration":"1:11","uploadDate":"08-21-2018","publication":"08-21-2018","images":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","url":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2018/08/180810_gma_digital_culture_commonadvice_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","contentUrl":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2018/08/180810_gma_digital_culture_commonadvice_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","link":"https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/culture/story/rapper-commons-advice-students-struggle-creates-progress-56925184"}},"playlist":[{"id":"132628890","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132569874","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132567885","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132510121","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132473181","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132497933","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132281378","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132283010","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132273278","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132231169","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132206748","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132200241","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132054443","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132054798","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132033010","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131912713","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131830583","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131834976","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131554765","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131554815","contentType":"story","section":"news"}],"kvps":{"pgtyp":"article","lang":"en","sp":"goodmorningamerica","programmatic":"true","bundleId":"com.abcnews"}},"analytics":{"accountID":"wdgnewwdgnewgmaweb","ns":"gma","pageName":"gma:culture:video","pageType":"video","globalSpecVersion":"v1.08","siteDifferentiator":"gma:site","tagID":"g_page01","userABCookie":"0","section":"culture","title":"Rapper Common to students: Learn from struggle","pubTime":"04:02","pubDate":"08-21-2018","modTime":"10:15","modDate":"08-23-2018","taxonomyTags":"none","id":56925184,"editorialOtherSubjects":"","wordCount":"none","columns":"none","authors":"","authorsUnit":"none","authorsBureau":"none","subBrand":"Good Morning America","provider":"Good Morning America","videoName":"Rapper Common to students: Learn from struggle","mediaAssetTitle":"SCOTT_Common_FirstGen_Advice ","videoId":56925184,"mediaOnPage":"video","legacySlug":"/culture/story/rapper-commons-advice-students-struggle-creates-progress-56925184"},"taboola":{}},"request":{"headers":{},"httpVersion":"1.1","method":"GET","url":"/video/56925184","vary":{"host":"www.goodmorningamerica.com","cached":true,"path":"/video/56925184","forwarded-proto":"https","device":"desktop","userab":"0"}},"viewport":{"width":1260,"height":0},"user":{}};