Elissa Tenny First-Generation Fellows Endowed Fund

Established in 2019 under President Elissa Tenny’s leadership, SAIC’s First-Generation Fellows program was created to meet the needs of newly enrolled first-year students who identify as the first in their family to attend college. During their first year on campus, fellows participate in workshops and mentorship conversations, are guaranteed on-campus employment and receive a $1,000 per semester scholarship to encourage their persistence to graduation. Thanks to the program, SAIC’s first-generation first-year students are thriving, with 88 percent returning as second-year students in fall 2022, which is six percent greater than the student population as a whole. Your contribution to the Elissa Tenny First-Generation Fellows fund will directly support the retention of First-Generation Fellows by increasing support for first-year first-generation students, expanding programming into students’ second-year, and providing additional scholarship support for second-year students over time.

“Being first-generation means being the start of something new. The First-Gen Fellows program provides me with assistance through obstacles across my higher education experience but most importantly, it reminds me to continue my ambitions as an artist.” - Rachelle Fierro (BFA 2026)

Artwork: Maria Burundarena, Vidrios rotos que brillan como un rayo (A broken glass shines like lighting), 2022