2021 Registration Is Open!
Register Today!
Come be part of the First-gen community and meet others from across the country. We are looking forward to seeing you at this years 2021First Gen Summit
Become a Sponsor
Sponsoring schools receive extra student spots, free faculty and staff registrations, and promotional opportunities.
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Joining our mailing list to stay up to date on Summit Plans as they develop.
A place to Be Inspired and Inspire Others
The First Gen Summit serves as a site for the meeting of the minds. First-gen students and their allies come together to identify problems, discuss grassroots solutions, and share what’s working on their campuses. First and foremost, we want to find solutions identified by students who can work with their staff, administrator, and faculty allies to create change. Class Action offers spaces where students can both identify these problems and build grassroots solutions to them.
What People Say About the Summit
“The keynote speaker was fantastic, hilarious, and poignant.”
“The discussions made me want to implement new programs.”
“The Student focus was superb, privileging student voices.”
Meet the 2021 Advisory Committee
Natalie Aleman, New York University, NY
Associate Director of Academic Services, Opportunity Programs
Anita Canada, Georgia State University, Perimeter College, GA
Instructor of Speech Communication
Adj Marshall, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MA
Graduate Student Families Program Administrator
Monica Ovalles, Hampshire College, MA
Assistant Director of Admissions
Maria Erb, Boston University, MA
Director of the Newbury Center for First Gens
Lori Romano, University of Nebraska – Lincoln, NE
Director of the Center for Academic Success & Transition
Claude Taylor, Monmouth University, NJ
Director for Academic Transition and Inclusion
Wren Bareiss, University of South Carolina Upstate, SC
Associate Professor of Communications
Rebecca Gillis, California Polytechnic State University, CA
Staff Psychologist
Tina Meetran, College Visions (NonProfit), RI
Executive Director
Terri Plummer, University of Southern Maine, ME
Director of TRIO College Programs
Jocelyn Salcedo, Bennington College, VT
Career Engagement Coordinator
Megan Wigton, Salem State University, MA
Coordinator, Student Transition & Engagement Program (STEP)
Meet the 2021 Student Planning Committee
First Gen Summit Co-Coordinator Jamie Mejia-Delgado University of South Carolina Upstate Undergraduate
My name is Jamie Mejia-Delgado, I am a junior at USC Upstate, Jamie is a junior at USC Upstate currently studying Political Science. She is the first in her family to attend college and being a first-generation college student has been her greatest obstacle so far. However, she does not intend to let it hinder her education and plans to attend law school after receiving her B.A.
First Gen Summit Co-Coordinator Adj Marshall
First Gen Summit Founder
Adj was the first person in her family to attend and graduate from college, earning her B.A. while supporting her brothers’ pursuits of their associate degrees. Her experience growing up as a member of a chronically poor, and often homeless, single-parent family has contributed immensely to her work as a JEDI trainer and advocate for educational socioeconomic justice. Adj holds her MA from Brown University.
First Gen Summit Workshop Lead Diana Tiburcio
Amherst College Undergraduate
Afro-Dominican, queer, non-binary, and lactose intolerant. An abolitionist, researcher, and lover of Rubik’s cubes. They spend most of their time at Amherst College exploring the woods and bird sanctuary. 10/10 chance that they’ll laugh at their own joke even if no one else does.
First Gen Summit Marketing Lead Tammy Dong
Boston University Undergraduate
Tammy is a sophomore studying International Relations at Boston University. Her dream is to travel to different places and see the bigger world with her own eyes. She loves art and expressing herself through creative ways.
First Gen Summit Tech Lead Valerija Ilievska
Babson University Undergraduate
Valerija is an international student currently pursuing a business degree with a focus on IT and Politics. She loves exploring new things and finds it very hard to maintain her focus on only one thing. However, trying to create a better world for everyone is probably one of her biggest passions.
First Gen Summit Fundraising Lead Aston Tan
Boston University Undergraduate
Studying abroad in France at X University
Aston is a junior studying Business Administration at Boston University with concentrations in Strategy and Management Information Systems. He’s an aspiring consultant and entrepreneur. Currently studying abroad in Paris, broadening his horizons. The support he received from the first-gen community has inspired him to give back to other fellow first-gen students. He also enjoys music production and graphic design.
First Gen Special Projects Lead Elizabeth Rodericks
Bridgewater State Graduate Student
Elizabeth grew up in a working-class family and is a first-generation Student Affairs Counseling M.Ed. graduate student at Bridgewater State University. Her own struggle to understand college resources spurred her to support other students’ experiences through tutoring and academic advising, as well as working on the executive board of first-gen and women’s leadership-focused student organizations. She also can’t wait for the autumn season and would love to own a senior black cat one day!
Workshop Tracks for 2021
Faculty Staff Administrator Track
- Coming Soon!
First Gen Graduate Student Track
- Coming Soon!
Faculty Staff Administrator Track
- Coming Soon!
Summit 2021 Schedule
11:30 am – 6:00 pm EDT
Our Summit Story
The First Gen Summit was envisioned by Adj Marshall in the fall of 2012 as a place for first-generation college students to come together to define and design new ways of viewing the first-gen label in contrast to the generally applied deficit lens. The very first summit was held in the Spring of 2013 with just 40 attendees. Today the First Gen Summit brings together between 200-300 students and allies each year.
Since 2004, Class Action has worked with first-generation students to ease their transition to college. Through consultations and workshops on and within many campuses throughout the country Class Action has offered first-gen students access to the materials, tools, and networking opportunities necessary to thrive in a college environment. Class Action also works with campus administrations to identify obstacles to first-gen and low-income students.
Become a 2021Sponsor!
This Year’s Current Sponsors
