1stgenyale

On Jan. 22, 2026, 1stGenYale gathered at Yale’s Office of Federal & State Relations in Washington, D.C., where Director Sarah Shapiro shared updates on Yale’s Capitol Hill work, including the newly passed Appropriations Bill’s implications for funding and financial aid. Members connected with alumni, welcomed new WDC member Victoria Hernandez ’17 (AAAS STPF), and look forward to future events in the office’s shared space.

At 12:22 p.m. Eastern Time today, August 14, 2025, 1stGenYale alumni volunteers published our finished custom-built website, based on the web map and draft site developed with the help of our Summer Bulldogs interns last summer, Lara Mohamed '27 and Karen Wang '26. All of the content and history from our original site were transferred, reorganized and freshened, most of it manually by Grace Kim '22, chief graphic designer, Barb Protacio '81, site admin, and Suzanne Solensky '83, blog historian. 

1stGenYale is seeking passionate new Board of Directors members to help shape our future, creating meaningful programs for Yale’s first-generation low-income (FGLI) students and alumni.  Our all-volunteer Board has direct responsibility for overseeing 1stGenYale, which develops programs focusing on career and life skills. Serving as a 1stGenYale Board member is a way to give back to Yale and help the next generation of these Yale College students succeed.