CHICAGO, July 26, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Higher education is more important to financial stability now more than ever as the bachelor's degree (BA) now accounts for 56 percent of all good jobs, according to the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce. However, students from underserved communities are not being afforded the same college preparation opportunities as their affluent peers as they face systemic barriers to college readiness, including lack of institutional support and adequate resources.
First Gen Support (FGS), a student-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit funded through a grant by Cornell University, is dedicated to empowering first-generation, low-income, and immigrant (FGLI) students to successfully navigate high school and achieve college readiness. Set to launch its first annual College Prep-A-Thon Aug. 2-6, 2022, FGS has made this prep-a-thon unique in its interactive experience by combining elements of past FGS mentorship programs and last year's college fair. Students will have the chance to learn from speakers and mentors from college prep programs and top universities such as UPenn, Stanford, Harvard, and Cornell. The FGS College Prep-A-Thon seeks to foster a supportive and competitive environment filled with incentives to ensure students finish daily challenges for college readiness. This event is open to all high school students for free. More information can be found here at this link.
Featuring 30+ college mentors, 10+ speakers, and 400+ signups, FGS is looking for 1,000+ student signups, 50+ college students as mentors, and donors/sponsors to sponsor prizes and the future operations of FGS.
As a first-generation immigrant, FGS founder Julia Sun (Cornell '25) found that college preparation opportunities were not built equal, especially for lower-income and first-generation students. Inspired by the Black Lives Matters movement, she witnessed the socio-economic inequities and realized the staggering challenges that encompass finding college preparation resources, especially for students whose parents did not go to college. Julia gathered passionate changemakers across the nation to empower under-resourced students to know that college is accessible. To learn more about how FGS began, click here.
First Gen Support is a volunteer-run 501(c)(3) organization with multiple advisors from top universities. Are you a rising college student? Do you have experience in higher education as a low-income, first-gen or immigrant student? Are you interested in partnering with First Gen Support to bring resources to underserved students? Or are you simply a student who wants to learn more about applying to colleges? If the answer is yes to any of these questions, learn more at this link.
First Gen Support relies on donations to get the word out, fund programming and connect with more students. Please visit the FGS website for more information.
For more information on First Gen Support or visuals regarding the event, please contact Cyntia Roig at cyntia@firstgensupport.org or 786-295-7246.
Related Images
Image 1: FGS 2022 College Prep-A-Thon Poster
FGS Logo for the 2022 College Prep-A-Thon
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