Groups

Website Mission

Mission
The mission of The College and Career Readiness Program shall be to establish a career and college readiness program to provide a direct link between Cornell students and high school students. We will establish an academic curriculum to be used as a handbook to aid mentor meetings, as well as a podcast series. The goal of this organization is to be a supportive organization for first-generation and low-income high school students pursuing college or other career-related goals. We aim to pair Cornell students with a high school in the Ithaca area in order to provide individualized help and group workshops on applications, essays, exams, etc. Members will collaborate to produce a handbook guide for the program and podcasts on various college and career-related topics.

Membership Benefits

Website Mission

Mission
The First Gen Student Union aims to promote community, resources, advocacy, and empowerment for all students who identify with the first-generation and/or low-income student experience. We consider you a first-generation college student if you come from a family in which neither of your parents or guardians has obtained a four-year college degree.
We consider you a low-income student if you have little or no expected parent contribution as part of your financial aid package, you are a recipient of the Pell grant, or you believe that your prior academic and social experiences have been limited due to your socioeconomic status.

Membership Benefits

Website Mission Membership Benefits

Mission
Welcome to First-Generation & Low-Income (FGLI) Student Support Center! We promote awareness, identity exploration, community engagement, and self-advocacy for students who identify with the first-generation and/or low-income student experience.

Membership Benefits
At Cornell, we consider you a first-generation college student if you come from a family in which neither of your parents or guardians has obtained a four-year college degree in the U.S.

Although you may feel like you are alone in that experience, 19.9% of the students in the incoming class of 2026 identified as first-generation college students. Students with low-income status have little or no expected parent contribution as part of their financial aid package, are Pell Grant recipients, or have had their academic experience limited due to socioeconomic status. Note that they often intersect; first-generation and low-income are not synonymous.

Oftentimes, students with undocumented/DACA status also identify as FGLI. Learn more about the undocumented/DACA student experience on our website.

Website Mission Membership Benefits

Mission
The Kessler Scholars Program empowers high-achieving, first-generation Cornell students to realize their full potential as leaders and changemakers. We cultivate academic excellence while fostering a collaborative community where scholars support one another, engage with curiosity and purpose, and develop a lifelong commitment to giving back. Through mentorship, resources, and shared experiences, we prepare our scholars to lead with integrity, serve their communities, and create lasting positive impact in the world.

Membership Benefits
Kessler Scholars benefit from:

- Annual $1,500 Kessler Scholarship until graduation and other financial benefits through unique programming.
- 1:1 advising with designated administrators, peer mentorship, and career coaching
- Immersive trips and leadership development
- Community-building activities, social events, and workshops (e.g., Welcome Weekend, Career and Leadership Development, Financial Literacy workshops)
- Access to research opportunities, internships, and alumni networks

Website Mission

Mission
The mission of the organization is to:
promote advocacy, community, empowerment, and identity exploration for all law students who identify with the first-generation and/or low-income student experience and supporters of these students.

This group recognizes a wide range of first-generation students, including those who will be the first lawyers in their families, but prioritizes the needs of first-generation high school and college graduates who attended public primary and secondary schools and are from low-income backgrounds.

Relying on the honor code, FGSA considers "low-income" to include students who receive little or no expected family contribution as part of the financial aid package, could not or cannot consistently rely on parents for financial support throughout higher education, or whose socioeconomic status have significantly limited their prior academic and social experiences.

Membership Benefits

Website Mission

Mission
Undocumented and DACA Student Support is part of the Centers for Student Equity, Empowerment, and Belonging - within the Office of the Dean of Students, under the umbrella of Student & Campus Life.

This area promotes awareness, identity exploration, community engagement, and self-advocacy. The office also facilitates educational resources and collaborates with community partners to help support undocumented and DACA students at Cornell. Because students with either status are often first-generation and/or low-income, Undocumented/DACA Student Support is part of the First-Generation Low Income office.

Membership Benefits