A Statement from Dr. Uttam Gaulee, President of the STAR Scholars Network
As we reach the final week of November, I join institutions and communities across the globe in honoring First-Generation College Student Month. This annual observance—highlighted by National First-Generation College Celebration Day on November 8th (the anniversary of the signing of the Higher Education Act of 1965)—calls attention to the students who break new ground in their families and chart paths of possibility where none existed before.
According to the latest data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), approximately 38% of U.S. undergraduate students were first-generation in 2020. These students disproportionately come from lower-income households, and a higher proportion are women (about 42% vs. 33% male) among those enrolling in 2019-20. Furthermore, Hispanic/Latino, Black, and American Indian/Alaska Native students are more likely than White students to belong to first-generation cohorts
These numbers matter—not because they reflect deficits, but because they signal opportunity. When nearly two-in-five undergraduates are the first in their families to seek college degrees, higher education institutions have a responsibility to honour and support them—not simply to enroll them, but to help them thrive and lead.
As a first-generation graduate myself—who embarked on my educational journey from the hinterlands of Nepal, through India and Europe, and ultimately to the United States—I know intimately that first-generation status is not a limitation. Quite the contrary: it can be the source of a different kind of strength. I was shaped not only by classrooms and books, but by determination, international mobility, and a belief that education is a bridge between worlds. I see in first-generation students a rising tide: new educators, diplomats, entrepreneurs, and scholars whose vantage point is shaped by crossing boundaries and defying expectations.
Within the STAR Scholars Network, we are committed to elevating that very potential. Our mission to foster transnational research and collaboration—scholarly partnerships that cross continents and cultures—is intertwined with the first-generation promise: knowledge built across borders, communities connected through inquiry, and scholarship conducted not for prestige but for humanity. We are honored to collaborate with the Lumina Foundation on the “First in the Family” book series, which amplifies the voices and stories of first-generation scholars around the world. These narratives not only document journeys—they inspire new ones.
Why should everyone in higher education care about first-generation students? Because the stakes are global. When first-generation students succeed, institutions diversify their intellectual capital; research becomes richer with voices shaped by different cultural experiences; communities gain leaders who understand mobility and transformation. Closing the achievement gap for first-generation students isn’t just a moral imperative—it is an investment in our collective future. According to research from the Pell Institute and other bodies, improving first-generation student outcomes has the potential to yield millions of additional graduates and hundreds of billions in economic benefit.
But we must also recognize the challenges. First-generation students often navigate opaque processes—financial aid verification, application guidance, institutional bureaucracy—with fewer mentors to guide them. They may feel a sense of isolation in environments where their backgrounds are under-represented. They frequently carry higher student debt and contend with competing responsibilities such as employment or caregiving. These are not excuses—they are calls to action.
In this month of recognition, I ask all of us to do three things:
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Listen to first-generation stories—share your own, mentor one, support one.
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Think systemically—ensure your institution is not only enrolling first-generation students but building wrap-around support that helps them persist and lead.
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Connect globally—use the “First in the Family” series and international partnerships to bridge contexts, share lessons, and honour first-generation scholars as global citizens.
To every first-generation student, scholar, faculty member, staff partner, and alumnus: we celebrate you. Your journeys chart new courses. Your successes ripple outward. And your voices build a future where higher education lifts lives—locally, nationally, and globally.
Thank you for the work you do, the risks you’ve taken, and the hope you carry. Together, let us continue this journey—not just as access-builders, but as pioneers of possibility.
With gratitude and conviction,
Dr. Uttam Gaulee
President
STAR Scholars Network