First Generation Students

Welcome to the First-Generation Students Community at the University of Florida! The resources and tools provided here have been thoughtfully curated to support you as a first-generation college student.

This community includes information and resources to empower you in building your career and professional development at UF and beyond. Take the time to explore articles, blog posts, and success stories from fellow first-gen students. Discover ways to make the most of your time at UF, like getting involved in student organizations, connecting with first-gen alumni, and utilizing real-time labor market data to guide your career choices.

First-Generation Student Resource

The Machen Florida Opportunity Scholarship (MFOS) assists historically low-income first-generation college students in meeting their college costs. First-generation in college is defined as neither of the student’s parents or legal guardians having earned a bachelor’s degree.

The MFOS program provides recipients a full grant and scholarship package to earn a bachelor’s degree at the University of Florida.

Should First Generation Students Hide From Potential Employers That They’re the First in Their Families to Attend College?

For first-generation college students—those who are the first in their family to attend and graduate from college—entering the job market can bring unique challenges. They may face hurdles that other students, particularly those with more established family networks, don’t have …

By College Recruiter
College Recruiter believes that every student and recent grad deserves a great career.
Read more

Why You Still Need LinkedIn & 3 Steps to Get Started

LinkedIn gets a lot of hate, and much of it is well deserved. But it is still an excellent tool to level up your career. In this episode, I break down why LinkedIn is still an extremely powerful tool for …

Read more

Ten Tips to Protect Your Digital Privacy

Social and professional connection online is nearly inevitable these days, but how do we maintain privacy and curate the online experience that works best for us? Here are 10 tips to protect your digital privacy.

Keep your personal accounts on …

By Sara Smith-Paez
Sara Smith-Paez Health Promotion Specialist
Read more

Episode 45: Timeout with Dr. Derrick Burgess

On this week’s episode of Timeout with TWN, we chatted with Dr. Derrick Burgess, first-generation orthopedic surgeon and host of the incredible podcast, TimeOut with the SportsDr. Hear how Derrick used his own experience as an athlete navigating injury to enter the medical field. Plus, learn how he works to support athletes in their health …

Read more

How to Stop Underearning and Make More Money

In this episode, I dive into the concept of underearning: what it really means, how it shows up, and the mindset shifts that help you break free from it. I explain the difference between being underpaid (when the system undervalues …

Read more

Sidebar

Career Resources

Experiential Learning encompasses diverse personal and professional activities, engaging you beyond the classroom to gain practical insights, develop knowledge and …

Join the First-Gen Community on Gator Network!

Connect with first-gen alumni, students, faculty, and staff who are ready to …

An award winning podcast and the first and #1 show in the world for first-generation scholars and professionals.

Alumni Connections

Moeez Khan

Expert-Recommended People
  • Software Development Engineer Amazon Web Services
Meet Moeez

Charlene Joy Dela Cruz

Expert-Recommended People
  • User Experience Designer II NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Meet Charlene Joy

Vishnu Kamisetty

Expert-Recommended People
  • Group Product Manager eHealth
Meet Vishnu

Sabrina Rahrovi

Expert-Recommended People
  • Senior Program Manager Google
Meet Sabrina

Jasmine Tudor

Expert-Recommended People
  • Senior Product Designer HubSpot
Meet Jasmine
Meet Leena

Nora Durgin

Expert-Recommended People
  • School Psychologist Arlington Public Schools
Meet Nora

Michael LaBelle

Expert-Recommended People
  • Chief Financial Officer Boston Properties, Inc
Meet Michael

Nernwon Kargou

Expert-Recommended People
  • Fellowship Manager Activate
Meet Nernwon

Guy Caprio

Expert-Recommended People
  • Staff Therapist Loyola University Chicago
Meet Guy

Chris Wozniak

Expert-Recommended People
  • Director of Technology and Information Systems The Awty International School
Meet Chris

Lisa Cameron

Expert-Recommended People
  • Senior Director of Development The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth)
Meet Lisa

Contact & Location

Phone
352-392-1601
Address

J. Wayne Reitz Union
Suite 1300
PO Box 118507
Gainesville, FL 32611-8507

Career Service Hours

Monday 8:00 am- 5:00 pm
Tuesday 8:00 am- 5:00 pm
Wednesday 8:00 am- 5:00 pm
Thursday 8:00 am- 5:00 pm
Friday 8:00 am- 5:00 pm

We are located on Level 1 of the Reitz Union.