First Generation College Students (FGCS)

I’m First! was created in 2013 to provide students who lack a family history of higher education with inspiration, information, and support on the road to and through college. I’m First! is an initiative of UStrive—a national nonprofit that also runs an online college and career mentoring program by the same name.

First Gen College works to help first generation college students to and through college and beyond. We share stories, resources and offer programs to support them on their college and career journeys. We also connect students and recent graduates to professionals and career opportunities.

This First Generation Digital Storytelling project explores the use of storytelling and digital social media to give voice to the rarely heard narratives of First Generation college students and graduates. In three day digital storytelling workshops, current and former first gen students craft first person stories and then weave images, video, sound, and silence to craft elegant multimedia pieces about pride, growth, resilience, anger, tenacity, doubt, shame, and discovery as they navigate the invisible cultural and social norms of higher education.