Hello and welcome to First Gen!
A newsletter about the highs and lows of the first generation college student experience
First Gen is a newsletter about what it means to be the first person in your family to go to college — brought to you by and featuring the voices of first generation college students. Every Friday you’ll get a look into the first gen experience that goes beyond the statistics and takes a deeper look at the students.
What you can expect
The goal of First Gen is to tell as many stories about the first gen college experience as possible. This means the topics will be varied, intertwined, and (I hope) relatable. Here’s a short list of some of the topics this newsletter will cover:
FAFSA induced headaches
Loneliness and mental health on college campuses
The myth of meritocracy
Money (or the lack thereof)
How our families shape our experiences
And more!
And who am I?
My name is Zipporah Osei. I’m a journalist and first generation college student originally from Yonkers, NY (that’s right outside The Bronx). I’m currently in my last year at Northeastern University, and I’ve spent time reporting for The Boston Globe, The Chronicle of Higher Education, and Chalkbeat. I spend a lot of time thinking and ranting about education inequity.
I’m starting this newsletter weeks away from my college graduation so, for me, this newsletter is functioning as a way to take stock of the last four years of my life and how being first gen has shaped it. If you’re reading along, I promise you’ll learn a lot more about me.
☝🏿This is me. You can follow me on Twitter, on Instagram, or read some of my reporting here.
I hope I’ll be seeing you in your inbox on Friday!
Some housekeeping before you go:
If you can’t find the newsletter, check your spam folder, and please mark this address as ‘not spam.’ If you’re still looking for the newsletter, check the Promotions tab.
Again, you can always see everything on the website.
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