First Generation Student Union

The purpose of the First-Generation Student Union (FGSU) at SIPA is to provide a supportive and empowering community for students who identify as the first in their family to obtain a Bachelor’s degree or whose parent(s) have not attended or completed college. First-generation college students have no or very little family collegiate history and are entering into college with limited knowledge about traditions and patterns of college life and academia. The FGSU aims to build a community of first-generation students, create partnership opportunities to improve the academic and professional achievement of first-generation students and foster an inclusive environment that offers resources, and guidance tailored to the unique needs of its members. The FGSU will foster an environment that will uphold values of respect, community, empowerment, and collaboration.

• Respect: The FGSU recognizes everyone deserves respect and will ensure all ideas and people are appreciated.
• Community: The FGSU students are not alone as they are united in their experiences of resiliency. FGSU will ensure all students who share this background can be a part of the community to celebrate each other’s success.
• Empowerment: The FGSU will uplift first-generation students of diverse backgrounds who have paved the road to graduate school without an existing blueprint.
• Collaboration: The FGSU students have several identities that influence their lives. Collaboration with other student organizations and programs is critical in order to effectively serve them throughout their graduate school experience.

Students who identify as the first in their family to obtain a Bachelor’s degree or whose parent(s) have not attended or completed college. Membership is open to all students enrolled at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), who self-identify as first-generation college students and/or come from low-income backgrounds.