November 2, 2024 | Burge Union
Break barriers by empowering students and centering the community at KU’s inaugural first-generation college student conference.
2024 Conference Theme: Forging New Paths
Welcome to The University of Kansas's first-generation college student conference.
A free conference to build your network, create connections, and gain tools to be successful on your educational path as a First-Generation college student.
Agenda
KU First-Gen Conference – Breaking Barriers: Forging New Paths
Join us on Saturday, November 2nd from 10:00am to 2:15pm in Burge Union for a day of building your network, creating connections, and gaining tools to be successful on your educational path as a First-Generation college student. Learn about topics that are relevant to you from college students, faculty, staff, and alumni.
At this event, you will have the opportunity to:
Connect with First-Generation students, faculty, staff, and on-campus resources.
Discover how to maximize your conference experience and participation.
Explore graduate school options and learn strategies to succeed as a grad student.
Practice skills that will support your success throughout college.
Meet and build your community by having fun!
Available Sessions:
Session 1 Options
- The Adventures of First-Generation Librarians
- Graduate School as a First-Gen Student
- Navigating Study Abroad: The First-Gen Experience
- Resume Review Workshop
Session 2 Options
- How to Interact with Professors
- Breaking the Silence Barrier: Empowering First-Gen Students through Storytelling
- Collect and Connect the Dots: Building Your Network to Unlock Mentorship Magic!
- First-Generation Student Panel
Session 3 Options
- First-Generation Student Support Round Table Discussion
- Career and Life Planning for First Generation College Students and Higher Education Professionals at KU
- Getting Started in Undergraduate Research Panel
- Graduate School Options
Keynote - Sarah Smarsh
Sarah Smarsh is a journalist who has reported for the New York Times, Harper’s, the Guardian, and many other publications. Her first book, Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth, was an instant New York Times bestseller, a finalist for the National Book Award and the Kirkus Prize, the winner of the Chicago Tribune Literary Prize, and a best-books-of-the-year selection by President Barack Obama. Her 2020 book She Come By It Natural: Dolly Parton and the Women Who Lived Her Songs was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award.
Smarsh is a frequent political commentator and speaker on socioeconomic class. A former writing professor, Smarsh has served as a Shorenstein Fellow at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government and a Pritzker Fellow at the University of Chicago Institute of Politics. Smarsh was a first-generation college student and an alumna of the University of Kansas. She lives in rural Kansas.
This event is open to students of all majors and class levels (first year through graduate), with a focus on students who identify as First-Generation. At KU, First-Generation means that neither of your parents nor guardians have earned a bachelor’s degree.
To sign up for in-person attendance or the virtual keynote, visit Details and Registration. Questions? Contact Hawk Link at hawklink@ku.edu.
Frequently Asked Questions
For undergraduate students: Being a First-Generation undergraduate student means that neither your parents or guardians have a bachelor's degree.
For graduate students: Being a First-Generation graduate student means you are in the first generation of your family to earn a bachelor’s degree and are now earning a graduate or professional degree.
No. However, preference will be given to students who can attend full time. Please indicate on the registration form whether you can attend for the entire time.
The conference is completely free to attend for all KU students, faculty, and staff! Lunch will be included.
No. However, we will prioritize access to the conference for first-generation students.
This is a common concern for students wanting to attend extracurricular events such as conferences and why we scheduled this on a Saturday, hoping to avoid class conflicts.
About Partnership
The University of Kansas is a NASPA-designated First-Gen Forward Institution and campus partners collaborate to host the events for the First-Generation College Celebration (FGCC) which is an annual opportunity celebrated nationally to raise awareness of the first-generation college student identity by advancing an asset-based, national narrative of these students’ experiences and outcomes.
This year, our inaugural conference is an additional institutional commitment to share evidence-based practices and resources, address challenges, generate knowledge, and continue to advance the success of first-generation students.
