Proud to be First-gen at UCSF

Kathy Chew, / FirstGen Forward / December 02, 2019

On Friday, November 8, 2019, the first-gen students at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) came together to celebrate National First-Generation College Celebration. UCSF is a graduate health sciences institution where 30% of the student population identifies as first-gen. Most recently UCSF was recognized as a First Forward Institution by the Center for First-generation Student Success, NASPA. This year, UCSF launched a visibility campaign across campus highlighting six students and their unique experiences. With the momentum and efforts from First Generation Support Services, the first-gen community continues to strengthen and grow!

The National First-Generation College Celebration was an opportunity for the community to acknowledge their achievements as well as reflect on their accomplishments. The day was filled with excitement and energy, a hot breakfast was served, a photo booth was available, and students were asked to leave a message on the wall on sharing “I’m Proud to be First Gen because…”

...I’m proud to be FG2C because I want to set a good example for younger students
...Proud to be first-gen because I have learned to be resilient and passionate about serving my community
...Proud to represent our service workers & patient from my Village

Proud to be FG2C from UCSF ETS on Vimeo.

We want our first-gen students to take pride in being the first in their families to attend college. We encourage them to share their stories and increase the first-gen community awareness across campus. Our first-gen backdrop will be used at all of our large events to announce proudly, we are first-gen. These photos are shared across our social media with #firstgenUCSF and #CelebrateFirstGen.

More first-gen events are planned for the coming year. The community will continue to grow and thrive. These amazing students are trailblazers and role models for their family, community, and future first-gen students. It is important to remind them to be proud of what they have accomplished and the impact that they will make in the future.