First Generation / Low Income
Who is a first-gen student?
At Suffolk, a first-generation college student is someone who, at age 18, has parents without a bachelor’s degree. This includes students who lived with both parents, one parent, or no parents at all. It also includes those who were in foster care, unhoused, or a ward of the state. Some programs are also open to students whose parents earned degrees outside the U.S. We are excited to work with you. The best way to get started is by making an individual appointment.
Get Connected
As you build your career competencies for the workforce, we encourage you to get connected in the following ways:
- Engage in experiential learning by building relationships with our Career Communities
- Build your network through the job shadowing program and connect with alumni from multiple communities
- Connect with a mentor through the RAMP program
- Learn about internship opportunities and job openings via Handshake
- Learn about fellowships on campus
- Build your resume by highlighting the projects you complete through your coursework, student clubs, and community programs
Apply for on-campus work-study and non–work study jobs (tutor, resident assistant, orientation leader, career ambassador, etc.)
Suffolk Connections
- Center for Student Diversity and Inclusion
- Suffolk University Law School’s first-gen students association and  ambitious new scholarship program
Job Search and Networking Tools
- I’m First: an online community providing first-generation college students with inspiration, information, and support on the road to and through college
- Search for Internship Opportunities: a comprehensive list of the most useful tips you’ll need for your internship search[AH1]Â
- First-Gen Nonprofits: links to nonprofits throughout the U.S. dedicated to helping first-generation students excel in education
Young Invincible (YI) Scholars Program: offers first-generation students the opportunity to join the Young Invincibles team, working on today’s most pressing economic issues facing young adults.
Additional Information and Resources
- America Needs You is a professional organization that fights for economic mobility for ambitious, first-generation college students by providing transformative mentorship and intensive career development.
- First In The Family provides educational information from first-generation college students, for first-generation college students.
- Founded in 1968, the Council on Legal Education Opportunity (CLEO) is a national organization that works to expand opportunities for minority and low-income students to attend law school.
- Guilt is one of the biggest struggles first-generation college students face: This article goes behind the scenes to analyze some of the challenges these students face and how universities can help.
- How Hiding Your True Self at Work Can Hurt Your Career: This article highlights the potential costs of hiding your affiliation with a certain group (i.e. first-generation students) in the workplace.
- First-Generation Students Unite: This article tells the stories of first-generation students from all over the country that share the theme of embracing this unique part of their identities.
- Career Advice for First-Generation Grad Students: This article provides six key pieces of advice from a first-generation graduate student.
There are many more programs and initiatives out there for undergraduate students who are the first in their immediate families to attend an institution of higher education, and who are passionate about pursuing careers in law and/or social justice. For example, visit First Generation Social Justice Leaders and the many opportunities listed in the AccessLex Diversity Pipeline Program Directory.
