First-Gens @ Brown is a student run organization that provides community and resources for students that identify as first generation. Throughout the school-year, First-Gens creates community-building opportunities, organizes events and panels, as well as provides mentoring for first-generation students. Make sure to join the First-Gens @ Brown Facebook group for advice, support, events, etc.
There are a variety of events geared towards assisting Sidney Frank Scholars throughout the year, such as study abroad and financial aid sessions. There is a Sidney Frank Buddy program in which you can sign up to be a buddy or have a buddy. The buddy system is very informal, depending on the mentor/mentee. Dean Bhattacharyya is the the dean for Sidney Frank Scholars and works closely with Sidney Frank Coordinators to run the overall program. You can email her at [email protected].
QuestBridge Scholars @ Brown is a community of low-income students at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. Founded in the fall of 2011, they’re a student-led group committed to encouraging the success and creating a community among low-income students. Through organizing outings, discussions, and year-long programs, their purpose is (1) to spark awareness and campus-wide initiatives focused on class and the experiences that intersect with and evolve out of classicism, (2) to support our Scholars' intellectual and individual journeys as leaders at Brown and beyond, and (3) to generate future Scholars through strategic partnerships with low-income Providence and Rhode Island youth. They are an affiliate of the Quest Scholars Network (questscholarsnetwork.org) but we welcome ALL students who identify with our mission, regardless of previous organizational involvement.
The Gates Millennium Scholars (GMS) program, established in 1999 by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, promotes academic excellence and provides an opportunity for outstanding black, indigenous and other students of color (SWANA, Latinx, and APIA students) with significant financial need to reach their highest potential.
This is through the form of scholarships, leadership training, alumni network building, and through other resources starting from the undergraduate level through post undergrad studies. Brown’s GMS Campus Based Organization (CBO, or club) strives to build a community by and for GMS scholars and students who have shared identities and experiences of being first-gen, low income, and being a student of color.
The Bonner Community Fellows Program at Brown aims to combine a student’s community engagement with their academic and career goals. Bonner Community Fellows are committed to working in a sustained, intentional and intensive way with a community partner that works to address issues in one of our five focus areas: Education, Healthcare, Environment, Economic Justice and the Arts. Together with community partners, Fellows will strive to build socially just communities where people have the resources they need to reach their full potential. The program supports students of diverse economic and social backgrounds to become leaders through their community engagement; to do so we provide reflection and skill development opportunities, mentorship and advising and financial assistance for income-eligible students. Students are invited to participate in the Bonners program prior to their first-year at Brown.
1vyG is an organization that seeks to strengthen and empower the first-generation network by convening communities made of both students and administrators, connecting students to pre-existing resources, recognizing gaps within these resources, and advocating for change. By challenging and inspiring each other, we aim to help students step into their power and create a more equitable educational system.
