Who is the FGO?

The First Generation Office (FGO) is a relatively new space on campus that offers various programs and resources for first generation students at Dartmouth. One of their programs that has existed since 2009, First Year Summer Enrichment Program (FYSEP), has expanded throughout the years from a four day program to a four week residential program.

The FGO is made up of a group of intelligent, caring, and hard-working people who care deeply for first generation students. FGO, through its programming, mentoring, tutoring and First Year Student Enrichment Program (FYSEP) Summer Session dedicates time and love towards aiding first generation students’ success at Dartmouth both academically and personally.

There are 184 first generation students in the Class of 2025 and over 300 upper class first generation students. This is a population that is “small” but mighty.

My work:

I was a Student Director (SD) for the FGO since my junior fall at Dartmouth until my senior fall. As an SD I worked with other members of the leadership team and other SDs to create events and workshops that fostered community and that were useful for academic success. One of my favorite things to work on was the FGO Newsletter that was sent out every Sunday morning in which I would accumulate relevant campus and FGO resources and events and share it to the first generation low income community (FGLI)! Throughout my time at Dartmouth I have also been a mentor to a ’24 when I was a junior during the pandemic. While it was challenging, it was great when I finally got to meet her in person. It was nice to be able to share what I had learn throughout my time here, the struggles and triumphs of being an FGLI student at Dartmouth and overall just bond with my mentee.

The summer of 2021, I was the Summer Session Coordinator (SSC) for FYSEP! Together with a team of 14 student staff and the FGO leadership team, we kicked off the inaugural 4-week residential Summer Session for the class of 2025! This was an amazing time for growth and connection. The first-year students not only took part in mock classes but the residential fellows (RFs) and I created an abundance of activities for them to choose from to foster community and friendship. For example, we had jewelry making, tote bag painting, thrifting trips and so much more! My favorite part was being able to connect with the ’25s and informally mentor them throughout my senior year. It has been truly rewarding seeing them grow and become more confident in themselves and in the things they choose to do at Dartmouth.