Update from Duke First: Exciting Things are Happening!

We launched Duke First in September 2020 and are really excited about what we can become as an organization that supports our first-gen/low income (FGLI) students and each other.  

To date, the majority of our efforts have been focused on capacity-building, though we took some time to imagine our future and will continue to do so. We started by inviting interested members to join the Steering Committee and are so grateful to those who raised their hands and then rolled up their sleeves to drive us forward.  

Please join me in thanking our talented and passionate group (listed above) for their thoughtful ideas and seemingly limitless energy. 

We then spent time dreaming about who we want to be and created the following committees to help us develop key initiatives to get there.

Membership/Mission Statement co-chaired by Gabi Wurmitzer Ph.D.'12 & Katie Taylor '19

Direct Aid to Students chaired by Joseph Francis '99

Welcome to Duke co-chaired by Jen Yam '14 & Summer Puente '11

Career Support co-chaired by Khalouk Shahbander '18 & Rachel Garcia '12

Programming co-chaired by David Robertson '15 & Tanya Smith J.D.'19

Mentoring co-chaired by Ana Homayoun '01 & Hunter McGhee '18

We are working closely with the Duke LIFE (Low-Income/First-Generation Engagement) Office, the Duke Alumni Association, and the Career Center. Along with other peer institutions, we joined the First-Gen Alumni Collaborative to share best practices and support each other in this important work.  

We’ll continue to send updates as we make progress, but please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or suggestions.

Forever Duke First,

Jack Boyd '85