40 Hours for the Forty Acres September 2021

DDCE First-Gen Initiative's 40 for Forty fundraising team, Spring 2021. 

Who We Are

First-Gen Equity within the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement (DDCE) is a continuation and expansion of the DDCE First-Generation Initiative, which was envisioned by a handful of first-generation students in 2017, Alejandrina Guzman and Matt Thibault. Fueled by a desire to have their own first-generation community on campus, these passionate students joined forces with a committee of dedicated staff members to develop an outline for a student-run organization that they would be proud to call their own.

Over the next several years—with support from several dedicated students, staff members, university offices, and institutional committees—the DDCE First-Generation Initiative grew to include monthly student programming/events, mentoring opportunities, and a team of paid first-generation student ambassadors.

To support its continued growth, in the spring of 2021 DDCE made the decision to move its First-Generation Initiative into the Longhorn Center for Academic Equity (LCAE)—a learning community with a reputation for supporting the first-gen community and for empowering students personally, academically, and professionally to become innovative, productive and engaged global citizens who are committed to social responsibility and promoting a diverse community of people, ideas and perspectives.

DDCE First-Generation Initiative's inaugural group photo.

 

What We’re Fundraising For

Over the last two years, we have raised funds to continue to pay for our talented team of student ambassadors, who have not only served as mentors to incoming first-generation students, but have also served on numerous committees to produce quality programming and opportunities for all first-generation students on campus. 

Year after year, as our program continues to grow, we have found we must continually increase the size of our staff to accommodate student interest in our services. This year, we unfortunately had to turn away half of the first-generation students who applied to our mentoring program due to a lack of funding to double our staff of student ambassadors. 

This is where we need your help! Additionally, we would love to use a small portion of our fundraising to also provide scholarships to first-generation students in need as they transition back to campus this fall.

DDCE First-Generation Initiative's first cohort of First-Gen Student Ambassadors!

 

Your Impact

Your gift will help continue to expand a dynamic learning community where first-generation students can self-select many learning opportunities based on their desire to participate.

Your generosity can provide financial support to a first-generation student in need or can help to fund the opportunity for first-generation students to get additional support from our ever-growing team of student ambassadors.

Your donation will not only facilitate the addressing of first-generation students’ immediate needs but will simultaneously make a profound and significant impact on their future accomplishments.

DDCE First-Generation Initiative's graduates, with their stoles from First-Gen Graduation.

 

 Thank you so much for your support!!! 

For more information, please visit: 

https://diversity.utexas.edu/academic-equity/first-gen-equity/.

Special thanks to our previous team of '20-'21 First-Gen Ambassadors!
We miss you all <3
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