First-Gen Student Resources

First generation students are those whose parents did not complete a college degree. Knowing this definition can help you identify opportunities for supports, scholarships and additional funding for your college education. Many students have questions about the overall college experience, such as questions about housing, academics, financial aid, and of course, the library! 

This guide aims to provide answers to many of the questions you may have about the library and library services, resources, and more. And, of course, this guide isn't just for first generation students. Students of all kinds may find the information in this guide useful.

Before you start looking through the guide, let us know if you're a first generation student by taking the poll below!

• Albert Einstein, Theoretical physicist
• Bill Clinton, 42nd United States President
• Colin Powell, Former United States Secretary of State
• Dr. Ben Carson, United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
• Elizabeth Warren, United States Senator
• Gerald Ford, 38th United States President
• Howard Schultz, Former CEO of Starbucks
• Jimmy Carter, 39th United States President
• Joan Rivers, Former actress, author, and comic
• John Lewis, former United States Representative and civil rights activist
• Larry King, American television host
• Michelle Kwan, American figure skater
• Michelle Obama, American attorney, author, and former First Lady of the United States
• Oprah Winfrey, American talk show host, television producer, and philanthropist
• Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
• Samuel L. Jackson, Actor
• Sonia Sotomayor, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
• Tennessee Williams, American playwright 
• Thurgood Marshall, Former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
• Viola Davis, American actress
• Walt Disney, American entrepreneur