The second annual First-Generation and/or Low-Income (FGLI) Visibility Week took place from November 3-November 9, 2023! Our team crafted this engaging week of programming in collaboration with Harvard departments, student organizations, and individuals to increase awareness about the issues that FGLI students face in our higher education system, validate and celebrate the diverse and intersectional FGLI identities that exist, and connect our current FGLI students to resources so that they can thrive at Harvard College.
All events were open to everyone in the Harvard community; students did not have to be first-generation or low-income to join in. This open engagement policy promotes the Foundation’s mission of creating intercultural connections to enhance the quality of our common life. Before the week began, eight banners with student headshots and reflection quotes to the question: "What do you want the campus community to know about your first-generation and/or low-income student experience?" were hung in the yard. Promotion for the week's events began across social-media, our newsletter, and through word of mouth. Students were excited to engage with our events, as evidenced by 650 students registrants, and over 1200 attendees in total. Throughout the week, our team received informal feedback about how meaningful and helpful our programs were, and the attendee satisfaction rating was very high on the formal post-program survey.
Over the course of the week, we posted 25 events with over 40 hours of diverse programming. One of the main goals was to engage with FGLI students on campus, recognize them, and help uplift their needs on campus. We held several large-scale events in high-traffic areas across campus that were designed to celebrate our FGLI students. These included the FGLI Visibility Week Kick-Off, Flower Bouquet Giveaway, Morning Prayers and First-Gen Breakfast at the Harvard Memorial Church. There were programs for networking and professional opportunities such as the FGLI Student & Faculty Dinner at the Harvard Faculty Club, Student & Alumni Brunch and Networking Event, a Financial Finesse Workshop, and professional headshots. These activities gave students the chance to engage with other Harvard constituencies and practice developing their own personal branding. Students also learned about additional resources on campus through programs like Navigating Summer Opportunities Funding, the Harvard College Law School Night, Summer Study Abroad Session, Mental Health Advocacy & Education Workshop, Resumes & Cover Letters for FGLI Students, and Getting Unstuck: How to Stop Procrastinating. There were also collaborative programs that fostered identity-specific intersectional connections for students like the Harvard Foundation student-led dialogues: "Life as a FGLI student," FGLI x Latinx Student Affinity Space & Self-Care Night, FGLI x International Student Affinity Space, the Annual Vigil for Black Trans Lives, FGLI Community Conversation with Black Students Association & Primus, Trivia Night hosted by the FYRE co-chairs, FGLI x BGLTQ Student Affinity Space, FGLI x AAPI Affinity Space: An Evening of Gratitude, and the FGLI x Student Veterans Affinity Space. Our programs aimed to celebrate culture, as highlighted in the EDI Climate and Action Series Dinner with Tara Houska, a Screening of Cara Romero’s Following the Light to celebrate Native American Heritage Month in November, and the Phillips Brooks House Association’s (PBHA) 17th Annual Robert Coles “Call of Service” Lecture & Award: Ruby Bridges. This week would not have been such a success without the support of our incredible campus and student-affiliated partners. We want to share our utmost gratitude for the time, effort, and thought that was poured into all of our FGLI Visibility Week programming.
Our Campus Partners:
Academic Resource Center (ARC)
Dean of Students Office Equity Diversity Inclusion Team
First Generation Harvard Alumni (FGHA)
Harvard Common Spaces
Harvard Financial Aid Initiative (HFI)
Harvard First Generation Program (HFGP)
Harvard University Graduate Commons Program
Harvard University Office for Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging (OEDIB)
Harvard Yard Operations
Mignone Center for Career Success (MCS)
Office of BGLTQ Student Life (QuOffice)
Office of International Education (OIE)
Phillips Brooks House Association (PBHA)
Our Student-Affiliated Partners:
Association of Black Harvard Women (ABHW)
Chinese Student Association (CSA)
First-Year Retreat Experience (FYRE)
Fuerza Latina
Harvard Black Student Association (BSA)
Harvard College Queer Students Association (QSA)
Harvard College Women’s Center (HCWC)
Harvard Primus
Harvard-Radcliffe RAZA
Harvard Undergraduate Association (HUA)
Harvard Undergraduate Veteran Organization
Harvard Undergraduate Woodbridge International Society
Latina Empowerment and Development (LEAD)
Latinas Unidas de Harvard College (LU)
First-Generation and/or Low-Income Visibility Week was made possible through a grant from the Harvard Cultural Lab Innovation Fund out of the Harvard Office for Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging.