Career Resources for First Generation Students
Career Resources for First Generation Students
Navigating college resources can be complex, especially if it’s new for you and your family. Career Education is dedicated to supporting our students who are first in their family to attend college in the United States, and below you will find resources that illuminate pathways to success, as well as some financial, community building, and career opportunities geared toward first generation college students.
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Further Career Education Resources
Mentorship comes in different forms, and your relationships with mentors will vary depending on your intentions, questions, and aspirations in a given season of life. Through the online platform The Wellesley Hive, you can meet Wellesley alumnae who have expressed interest in mentoring current students and other alumnae. You can search the Hive using the filter for First Generation College Student Status to find students and alumnae who are also first in their family to attend college!
More Organizations Supporting First Gen Students
The Wellesley Hive is one important way to discover mentors and gain your footing as a first generation college student. Below, we've listed a few other organizations that can help you along your journey.
America Needs You is a professional organization that fights for economic mobility for ambitious, first-generation college students. They do this by providing transformative mentorship and intensive career development.
First In The Family provides educational information from first generation college students, for first generation college students.
The Council on Legal Education Opportunity (CLEO) is a national organization that was founded in 1968 to expand opportunities for minority and low-income students to attend law school. Since its inception, more than 10,000 students have participated in CLEO's programs and joined the legal profession.
Internships & Fellowships
There are hundreds of funded opportunities for
Wellesley students. Begin exploring below!
Signature Internships & Grants, Sponsored by Career Education
Career Education Signature Internships span across the country and the world, in a variety of industries. We also offer funding through grants for self-identified, unpaid internships. If you find an unpaid internship, a grant can support your travel, housing and food costs throughout the summer/duration of your internship.
Additional Wellesley College Sponsored Internships
In addition to the opportunities above, Wellesley offers internships co-sponsored by Career Education and Academic Departments and other campus entities (like the Davis and Botanical Gardens). Learn more by expanding the resources below.
Internships Beyond Wellesley
FirstGen Fellows is a ten-week summer program in the D.C. area for undergraduate students who are the first in their immediate families to attend an institution of higher education, and who are passionate about pursuing careers in social justice.
For more internships beyond Wellesley, for women, LGBTQ, Latinx, Students with Disabilities, and Students of African, Asian or Arab descent, check out our resources for Distinct Populations.
Fellowships & Scholarships
Fellowships & scholarships provide funding for opportunities like studying a language, completing a service project, pursuing graduate study, or executing an independent project.