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MIT First-Gen Initiative for Graduate Students

In March 2019, I organized a kickoff event to introduce a new first-generation network for graduate students at MIT. The dinner was sponsored by the Office of Graduate Education through a Graduate Student Life Grant, with help from the First-Generation and Low-Income Program. The invitation was for graduate students at MIT (Post-doc, PhD, or MA) whose parent(s) had not received a college degree and/or who came from low-income households.

MIT’s existing first-gen programming targets undergraduate students and has successfully supported them. Yet, in many cases, the support first-generation students need becomes even greater at the graduate level. This event, therefore, aimed to launch a similar initiative for graduate students and provided an opportunity for them to meet each other and brainstorm how best to support future first-generation graduate students.

In 2019–2020, I served as the inaugural constituency representative of first-generation students at MIT’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee.

APSA Committee on the Status of First-Generation Scholars

I serve as a member of the APSA Committee on the Status of First-Generation Scholars. You can find information about the committee and its grant announcements on this page.

Development Analytics, Research Associate

Development Analytics is a research centre and advisory working on poverty, education, health, social protection, humanitarian aid, and the distributional impact of social policies. I am a Research Associate.