Share Your First-Generation Experience
University of Washington alumni who identify as First-Generation college students are invited to share their stories! We welcome everyone’s experiences, undergraduate and graduate alike. By sharing personal stories that come with the first-generation college experience, we remind current students that they are not alone — they have a community of UW alumni who are here to support and encourage them now and long after they earn their degree.
About the National First-Generation College Celebration
The National First-Generation Celebration takes place each year on November 8, the anniversary of the signing of the Higher Education Act of 1965, to acknowledge and celebrate the success of first generation college students past and present.
Telling Your Story
We invite you to reflect on the following questions when crafting your story for the National First-Generation College Celebration. You may upload photos to go with your written story — whatever is comfortable and convenient. Feel free to take inspiration from these starter prompts, if you like.
- What does being a First-Generation college student mean to you?
- What motivated you to go to college?
- What was the best thing about your college experience?
- Who did you turn to when you needed support?
- What advice would you give to your college self?
(Take a look at other first-gen stories if that helps you get inspired!)
- High Resolution: Bigger is better; we can always crop or resize in the editing process. Ideally photo files should be at least 2 MB.
- Be Creative: You may submit “Then and Now” photos, or snapshots from your college days, or photos of yourself in the present day. If it makes you feel proud, feel free to include it.
- Be Courteous: Make sure all people pictured in your photos are okay with the image being shared publicly by the UW Alumni Association.
ENTRANT ELIGIBILITY: The UWAA First-Generation Celebration open to all UW alumni who consider themselves to be first-generation students in their family.
PERMISSION: You grant to the UW and UWAA a non-exclusive, irrevocable, perpetual, fully paid, royalty-free, sub-licensable, worldwide license to use your photo submission, including without limitation publicity and promotion of the University of Washington in all media now known or later developed, including without limitation print, electronic, and digital, and with or without attribution. Such use may include, but is not limited to, reproducing, distributing, adapting, publicly displaying, circulating to all print media, television, and Internet. You agree that UW may use your first name, grad year, and photo or likeness in connection with UW’s exercise of the rights granted herein. Except for the permission granted to the UW under this agreement, you retain all rights in and ownership of your Entry.
REQUIREMENTS:
By submitting your First-Generation college story:
- Your photo submission must be in digital form and be less than 10 MB in size;
- Your photo submission does not violate the rights of any third party, including, without limitation, any copyright, trademark, patent, privacy or publicity, or contractual rights;
- Your photo submission does not contain any defamatory, libelous, indecent or obscene material; and
- You have obtained permission from each person whose name, image or likeness (collectively, “Likeness”) is included in your photo or artwork submission, such person(s) have granted you all necessary rights to use their Likeness and you can make written copies of such permissions available to the Sponsors upon request. (If the Likeness of a minor is included in your photo submission, such grant of rights must include written permission from the minor’s parent or legal guardian authorizing the use of the minor’s Likeness.)
Questions about this project? Contact asengage@uw.edu.