News & Updates

This year for First-Gen Week the Kearns Center and its campus partners will host five different events over the course of the week, November 3-8, 2025. The theme for the events this year is “Proudly First, and Not the Last,” recognizing that you may be the first in your family to go to college, but by charting new pathways, you’ll ensure you won’t be the last.

‘First-Gen Proud’ t-shirts will be available for students to pick up during the First-Gen Fun Day event. Students are encouraged to wear their shirts throughout the week to show off their First-Gen student pride. The Kearns Center is also raffling off some prizes at the end of First-Gen Week, and attendance at each event will count as an entry.

FGW25 is a collaboration of events between the David T. Kearns Center, the Gwen M. Greene Center, the First-Generation Students and Families Committee, Alumni Relations and Constituent Engagement’s First-Generation Network, the First-Gen Society and the Office of Mentoring and Student Advocacy.

First-Gen Week concludes on November 8, a day which has been recognized nationally as the First Gen Day of celebration by institutions across the country each year.

First-Gen Week Events

November 4 – First-Gen Fun Day, Hirst Lounge, Wilson Commons | 1-3 p.m.

• Kick off the start of First-Gen Week with a day that is centered around celebrating YOU! Come to Hirst Lounge for some fun, food, and swag! There will be a DJ and a photo booth along with this year’s First-Gen Proud t-shirt! We can’t wait to celebrate First-Gen Week at the University of Rochester withour first-generation community.

November 5 – Discover What you Don’t Know That You Don’t Know, Feldman Ballroom, Douglass Commons | 5:30-7 p.m.

• Alumni, Student, and Faculty Networking Event, hosted by the Office of Alumni Relations and Constituent Engagement’s First-Generation Network. Please join us for a night of networking with first-gen alumni and faculty who are interested in connecting with first-generation college students to share stories, insights, and opportunities in their field. A virtual panel will be followed by in-person networking, organized by discipline. Hors d'oeuvres Attendees must pre-register.

November 6 – Featured Speaker - First But Not Last: Rewriting the Narrative for First-Gen Students, Sanctuary, Interfaith Chapel | 3-5 p.m.

• Our featured speaker Dr. Reggie Walker, Director of EOP at Rider University, will deliver an impactful address about the journey of first-gen students who carry the pressure of being the first in their family to obtain a college degree while ensuring they are leaving an impact that won’t make them the last. This experience isn’t a motivational one - but one of empowerment that aims to help students see a degree as the first of many life changing accomplishments and experiences they will have.

November 7 – First-Gen Advocacy in Action!, Kearns Classroom Dewey Hall 4-162  | 2-3:30 p.m.

• The Kearns Center, Greene Center, and First-Gen Society invite you to drop by and take action to advocate for programs and services that support first-generation college students. Write a postcard (provided) sharing your experience with your congressional representatives and have your voice heard!

November 8 – Self-Care Saturday: First-Gen Edition, Rush Rhees Library, Hawkins Carlson Room | 1-3 p.m.

• Take a break from the hustle and bustle of the fall semester and join us for a relaxing self-care experience designed just for you. Whether you’re feeling overwhelmed, stressed or simply need a moment to breathe, this event offers a peaceful space to unwind and reconnect with yourself. Including: soft music, chair massages provided by massage therapists, gentle yoga, guided meditation, journal/reflection activities, coloring stations, and a hot tea and cocoa bar.