Nov. 8th marked the 60th anniversary of the Higher Education Act of 1965, which authorized programs to support students disadvantaged by socioeconomic barriers when accessing academic opportunities. By creating initiatives such as Student Support Services and TRIO Programs, the act sought to provide direct financial aid and targeted institutional support.
Continuing that mission of access, equity, and belonging in higher education, Georgetown joined universities across the nation in recognizing the achievements and resilience of first-generation students in honor of National First-Generation College Celebration Week, which ran from Nov. 3rd through Nov. 7th.
Georgetown Scholars Program (GSP), a university initiative providing financial and communal support to low-income students, and the First Fellows Program, a College of Arts and Sciences program providing first-generation students with academic resources beyond freshman year, held multiple events in honor of the celebrations.
A first-generation student, according to the Dean of Georgetown’s College David Edelstein, is a student with parents who did not obtain a four-year degree or a attend a four-year college program.
The week’s activities included a GSP kickoff dinner, chalking at Red Square, alumni networking events, brunch at White-Gravenor, and a trivia night.
For First Fellow and GSP member Wassan Abdelkarim (CAS ’28), the First Fellows’ celebration week’s panel with first-generation Georgetown faculty and alumni was valuable in connecting students to deans who had similar experiences.
“I think some [first-generation deans] really do understand the process of going through college as first-generation students, so they’re a lot easier to ask questions to because it creates that connection,” Abdelkarim said.
Creating a community of first-generation students is a significant aspect of the College’sFirst Fellows program. The program began in 2022 under the previous Dean of Georgetown College, Rosario Ceballo, to provide financial, academic, and emotional support for first-generation students.
Nikki Harris, first-generation graduate and assistant director of first-generation student initiatives within the College, highlighted the celebration week’s reinforcement of community.
“[The First Fellows program] does a lot of work normalising the first-generation student experience and normalising that it’s okay to feel that way, and other people are feeling that way too,” Harris said. “In our meetings, we can laugh, we can cry, there’s no shame.”
The week of celebration week helped students acknowledge the importance of community.
“I think coming to Georgetown, you realize that being first-generation or low-income is kind of marginalized,” Dominic Wright, a member of GSP and First Fellows, said. “ think having that community allows you to be more honest with yourself and feel like our experiences are definitely more similar than other people on campus.”
For some students, Georgetown’s culture often creates extra barriers and pressures for first-generation students, making community involvement and support all the more necessary.
“Georgetown is just very, very competitive to the point where it’s overwhelming, and being a first-generation student, your parents and family are relying on you to do all these amazing things, but [the celebration week] shows it’s just a space where everyone is celebrated,” Abdelkarim said.
GSP and First Fellows have been successful in facilitating access to educational opportunities for first-generation students and conversations among peers with various backgrounds, which has benefitted not only the program but all of campus as well.
“Whether coming from rural or urban spaces, First Fellows come to Georgetown with a world of knowledge and experience that can help shape intellectual inquiry and provide different ways of being in the world,” Edelstein said.
For students, National First-Generation Celebration Week also evoked feelings of pride and joy.
“It always makes you feel proud,” Wright said. “It definitely made me realize how involved I am in the community and how much it’s helped me.
The week also provided a moment for many first-generation students to reckon with their identity and embrace all parts of themselves.
“I view National First-Gen Week as a way to celebrate all the help that I received, but also acknowledging all of my students because sometimes it can be an identity that is unseen,” Harris said.
The First Fellows program aims to prevent the needs of first-generation students from going unrecognised, aligning with its intention to ensure that students have access to all of Georgetown’s educational opportunities.
However, first-generation students believe institutional support alone is not enough. Both Abdelkarim and Wright believe that a way for the broader Georgetown community to meaningfully engage with first-generation students is to be open-minded and listen. This is not always the case, which is frustrating for many first-generation students.
“A lot of clubs post, ‘We’re GSProud’ or ‘First-gen proud,’ but I don’t know if you could really name who is in GSP in your club,” Wright said. “They’re just doing blanket statements and not holding their groups accountable to actually learn what it is.”
Nevertheless, student awareness of first-generation experiences is slowly growing as programs such as First Fellows work towards representing and supporting first-generation students not just during the celebration week but every day. Students have since experienced an increased feeling of belonging and a home on campus.
“The week is reaffirming that we belong here and being first-gen shouldn’t stop you from pursuing what you love, and it shouldn’t stop you from still holding yourself accountable to succeeding,” Abdelkarim said.
