First Generation College Student Celebration
About the 2024 First-Gen Celebration
Join us from November 1 – 8, 2024 for our 8th Annual First-Generation College Student Celebration. This year’s festivities celebrate the 60th anniversary of the federal TRIO programs established by the U.S. Department of Education in 1964. At Suffolk, we have the privilege of housing three of these educational opportunity programs– McNair Scholars, Upward Bound, and Veterans Upward Bound – since 2007. With nearly a third of our university’s students being first-generation, we are excited to recognize our collective history and achievements throughout this week.
To honor our history as an institution committed to access and opportunity, we are kicking off the week’s festivities with a special screening of the documentary “First Voice Generation,” followed by a Q&A session with the director, Cynthia Martinez and one of the stars of the film. This story depicts the racial inequities and financial challenges experienced by first-generation, Latinx, and TRIO Upward Bound high school students in a small Michigan town applying for college during COVID. In a time of strife and ambiguity, this film showcases the students’ resiliency and perseverance and positions them as the authors of their own narratives.
The week will also feature this year’s induction ceremony of Tri-Alpha, the national honor society for first-generation college students, and wrap up with a TRIO Decades Dance to celebrate each era of educational opportunity these programs have supported. Join us for a week of student panels, engaging activities, and stimulating conversations designed to recognize the success of our first-gen community and shed light on their experience!
Learn more about each event this year and RSVP
Background
The concept of “First Generation College Student” was first introduced into federal policy by the TRIO community in the 1980s during the passage of the Higher Education Amendments to the Higher Education Act of 1965. The TRIO programs had been instituted by US Congress to provide educational access and opportunity to students who were the first in their immediate family to enter college for a bachelor’s degree (thereafter referred to as “First Generation College Students”) and from other marginalized groups in secondary and post-secondary education, including low socio economic status and disability.
On November 8, 2017, the Council for Opportunity in Education (an advocacy organization for the Federal TRIO Programs) and the newly created Center for First Generation Student Success developed by the NASPA professional organization) launched the inaugural First-Generation College Celebration. The date was chosen to coincide with the 52th anniversary of the signing of the Higher Education Act of 1965 which established support for this student population through the TRIO programs. The intent was to celebrate the achievements of first-generation college students and allow institutions around the US to shed light on issues that they might face, develop initiatives to support them, and ensure their continued success.
History of First-Generation Celebrations at Suffolk
The Center for Academic Access and Opportunity (CAAO) held the first First-Generation College Student Celebration on November 8, 2017. The event was well-attended and fueled a tradition at Suffolk to celebrate first-gen success each year.
On November 8, 2018, the CAAO held the second annual First-Generation College Student Celebration. The university community was invited to take part in the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the “First Generation Conference Room” in the CAAO 7025 Suite at 73 Tremont St, 7th Floor. The space was dedicated with a plaque on the conference room door that reads: “In honor and recognition of all first-generation college students whose perseverance and resilience grants them the unique ability to change the world.” See photos from the event.
In 2019, the CAAO joined forces with the Center for Student Diversity and Inclusion, as well as the Division of Student Success and the Education Department. The celebration was expanded significantly and included a series of events each day of the week culminating a large celebration on Friday, November 8, 2019. Over the course of the week, students, faculty, and staff were able to access various offices on campus to receive pins that said “I’m F1rst” and learn about their offerings for first-generation students. The Education Department hosted a panel discussion with Dr. Michael J. Siegel author of “First-Generation College Students: Understanding and Improving the Experience from Recruitment to Commencement.” The final event included a signing station for individuals to share a bit of their personal narratives and saw Suffolk first-generation alumni come back to share words of advice with current students. Overall, it was the largest celebration yet!
See Suffolk University’s celebration events recognized by NASPA.
In 2020, the First-Gen celebration took on a hybrid approach. Seven units and administrative departments collaborated with CAAO to put together programming for the week. This ensured that the celebration’s visibility was expanded significantly, and many more faculty, students, staff and alumni participated in the events. Given the pandemic, the 2021 celebration offered several events where students were allowed to share their struggles and successes during the difficult year. Programming was also developed to help students think about personal branding in the new virtual world. The virtual keynote by Saul Flores saw him sharing his experiences of taking a journey of 5,328 miles from South America to the US to better understand the struggle and resilience of immigrants who do the same. Overall, the themes of the 2021 celebration were grounded in persistence, grit, resilience, and perseverance; qualities our first-gen population knows well.
Share Your Event Ideas
If you are interested in proposing an event/activity/workshop, for the First-Generation Celebration, please fill out the form.