Unlocking Potential

The Keys

We believe the success of FirstGen students can radiate
 through four core pillars of the American experience:
 

• Economic Opportunity as a Foundation For Success:
  Supporting FirstGen students requires a small investment and delivers an outsized return. These students work hard to reach their full potential, and achieve their American dream. Their grit, ingenuity and creativity will power the future workforce and growth of industry and commerce. Their increased earning capacity will expand and strengthen the economy. We will all benefit from the contribution they make to our society. FirstGen students represent the best of our future, and we are committed to creating pathways to help maximize their potential.
   
• Social Engagement as a Network of Support:
  The community of FirstGen students is diverse. They bring a vast range of experiences and backgrounds and hold different beliefs. And when they join their fellow students, that diversity becomes an asset - in the classroom, across campus, and wherever they live and work. FirstGen students make their communities stronger. They become engaged leaders of significance and impact for good, both as a privilege and moral responsibility. They have the potential and empathy to help transform and heal our world.
   
• Education That Works for All:
  Higher education is confronting the reality that student success is the foundation for their survival. With declining enrollment and funding, and rising tuition student loan costs, institutions face increasing challenges to deliver an education and degree that justifies the value proposition for all students to succeed and thrive post-graduation. The pathways to viability for most institutions are shrinking. FirstGen students are a moral and practical opportunity to both expand and diversify their student bodies.
  
  When we surround FirstGen students with an innovative and holistic network of belonging and support, it unlocks their success across education, career, and life. Higher graduation rates lead to better job opportunities, which lead to better earning potential, which leads to financial stability, which leads to security for families raising the next generation of college students. When the barriers to progress are lifted, the true potential of these students and their families is realized.
   
• National Leadership to Drive Impact:
  FirstGen students and their families hail from every state, every district, and every community. They attend schools all over the country. So we expect that leaders, at every level, should and will support and advocate for FirstGen students. Support for FirstGen students should be a national priority, and we are committed to educating and engaging thought leaders and influencers across the spectrum of business, government, media, philanthropy, education and non-profit sectors.

Next: Our Approach