Tag: scholarship

Student Senate Awards First-Generation Scholarship

Post author By Chris Meyers
Post date March 28, 2024
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The First-Generation Initiative is excited to announce that on March 26th, Student Senate passed legislation, which appropriates $50,000 per year exclusively to Pell Grant, first-generation students. This first-gen scholarship will begin in Fall 2024 and last for the next nine years (Spring 2033).

A huge thanks to all of Student Senate for the unanimous vote, but a special thanks to: Alex Alarcón, Clayton Meyer, Michael Castle, and Wyatt Harms! We also want to thank the First-Generation Initiative’s former graduate/student assistants, Briana Morales and Guadalupe Roman, for their determination in continuing to push for more first-gen support.

Tags first-gen, first-generation, retention, scholarship, smu in four

First-Generation Initiative

Expanding our first-generation college student Book & Support Fund

Post author By Briana Morales
Post date March 3, 2023
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Image contains a screen shot of the First Generation Book & Support Fund on the SMU Giving Day Website, and the date March 7, on the screenshot.

Materials required for classes are expensive. Many SMU first-generation students work multiple jobs to pay for class materials such as laptops, textbooks, and school supplies.

To support our students, the First-Generation Initiative (FGI) created a Book & Support Fund in the fall of 2022 to help first-year and transfer first-generation students obtain school supplies.

During 2022-2023, the FGI provided funds totaling $5,018 to 23 students for class materials. Students return materials to a lending library managed by FGI after the term. Therefore, other first-generation college students can use the resource in future semesters.

Help us expand this critical program, the Book & Support Fund, on March 7 via SMU Giving Day. This resource is invaluable to the FGI and our first-generation students. We look forward to raising funds to continue supporting student success on the Hilltop.