Center for Student Success

F1RST Generation Week

A celebration and acknowledgement of our trailblazing Obies, F1RST Gen Week offers several opportunities for first-generation students, staff and faculty to connect, reflect and share their stories.  Created in partnership with departments across campus, F1RST Gen Week events are designed to increase awareness of the first-generation population on campus, celebrate their innate strengths, and highlight the importance of familial, peer, and institutional support.

Click here to learn more about the 2026 F1RST Gen Week events!

A group of first-generation students, staff and faculty on campus.

Oberlin College and Conservatory hosts F1RST Gen Week each November as an expansion of it's annual First Generation College Celebration Day typically held on November 8. Why expand the day to a full week of events? Being the first in the family to attend college can come with a lot of hurdles, and navigating that successfully is something to celebrate!

 

"F1RST Gen Week is not about the numbers - it's about supporting the trailblazers on this campus."

- Natalia Alvarado, '25

The inaugural F1RST Gen Week at Oberlin College and Conservatory was created to increase the awareness of the first-generation experience on campus and create space for fellow trailblazers to connect. The Center for Student Success earned a grant for the weeks events through NASPA's Center for First-Generation Student Success to support the planned activities. A recap of the events is available for viewing in the Oberlin Review. In addition to creating opportunities for community connection and campus exploration, Campus Safety hosted a bike giveaway for first-generation students who attended the weeks events. Check out the video to see the fun!