Assistant Professor in Politics (Political Methodology), King's College London
MIT First-Gen Initiative for Graduate Students
In March 2019, I organized a kickoff event to introduce a new first-generation network for graduate students at MIT. The dinner was sponsored by the Office of Graduate Education through a Graduate Student Life Grant, with help from the First Generation Program (FGP). The invitation was for graduate students at MIT (Post-doc, PhD, or MA) whose parent(s) had not received a college degree and/or who came from low-income households.
MIT’s existing FGP targets undergraduate students and has successfully provided them with support. Yet, in many cases, the support first-generation students need becomes even greater at graduate level (see the link for resources). This event, therefore, aimed to launch a similar initiative for graduate students and provided an opportunity for them to meet each other and brainstorm how best to support future first-generation graduate students.
In 2019–2020, I served as the inaugural constituency representative of first-generation students at MIT's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee.
Development Analytics is an Oxford-based research institute that conducts evidence-based research on social programs and policy development.