First-gen Clark

At Clark, being first-generation means you’re surrounded by people who understand the path you’re walking and walk it with you.

Temera De Groot ’25 and Jennifer Krulisz-Hossain ’25, MPA ’26 have created opportunities on campus for first-generation students like themselves to gather for social and academic fellowship and support.

You’ll meet peers who get it, mentors who notice, and a community built to help you find your stride.

What it looks like in practice

Jump start

ACE Summer Institute

Each summer, first-generation students are welcomed to campus early to jumpstart their college careers for the Advancing Clark Excellence (ACE) Summer Institute.

The program gives students a chance to form friendships and explore campus before the semester starts.

Space for connection

Student-led groups

1GEN brings first-generation college students together around shared lived experiences in order to network and build community. Monthly meetings also provide educational resources, such as workshops and seminars.

First-Generation Student Association, (FSA) offers a bi-monthly social space and fosters professional development skills.

A student speaks at an alumni panel discussion for first-gen students

A student presents as part of an alumni panel for first- generation students

Celebrations and milestones

Events

ACE Summer Institute
National First-Generation College Student Day
First-Gen week, calendar of events
Alumni panel
Panel event for local high-schoolers from college-access programs
First-Gen Pinning Ceremony

“If you look, there’s always somebody who’s willing to help you.”
Jennifer Krulisz-Hossain ’25, MPA ’26

“One: Embrace your story. Two: Get good mentorship. Three: Invest in yourself. Keep evolving and learning. Don’t follow just a paycheck or a trend.”

—Rafael Molina ’17

Rafael Molina ’17 returns to Clark to share his perspective with current first-generation students at alumni panel events. Rafael is a senior consultant at EY and a member of Hispanics Achievement and Celebration of Excellence Committee, Quinsigamond Community College.

Through Clark’s 4+1 program, first-generation student Jennifer Krulisz-Hossain ’25, MPA ’26 has combined graduate-level training with leadership roles on campus and professional experience in healthcare and nonprofit communications.

4 + 1

An advanced degree within reach

The 4+1 Accelerated Master’s provides an opportunity to earn a master’s degree.

Earn a 100% tuition scholarship for a fifth year and enter the workforce with an advanced degree.

How it works

Approximately 1 in 5 of our undergraduate students identify as a first-generation college student.

First-gen experience

When she arrived at Clark University from Nairobi, Kenya, Krishna Gajjar ’25 vowed that she would take advantage of every opportunity presented to her.

Krishna earned research funding from the Plave Family Research Fellowship, the Steinbrecher Fellowship Program, the Lisa Anne and Leo E. Beavers II Fellowship, and additional support from the Office of Identity, Student Engagement, and Access, and the Office of the Dean of the College.

“Clark really supported me in my endeavors,” Gajjar says, “and helped offset the financial costs so that I could concentrate on the research.”

Krishna Gajjar — Krishna found that opportunity in the lab of Néva Meyer, professor of biology, whose research seeks to produce a deeper understanding of the central nervous system and its development.

Krishna Gajjar presents her research at ClarkFest — ClarkFEST, the twice-yearly academic showcase, gave her a platform to present and interpret her technical findings for a general audience of students, faculty, and staff. She presented six times at the event. “Science communication is one of the most important things we do,” she says.

Krishna Gajjar celebrates with family at the pinning ceremony. — Krishna celebrates at the First-Generation Pinning Ceremony. After serving as a research intern at Massachusetts General Hospital, a partnership with Harvard Medical School, Krishna enrolled in the doctoral cell and molecular biology program at the University of Pennsylvania, with an eye toward a career in biomedical research.

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