NLU Celebrates National First-Generation Student Day, November 8th!

This week, NLU celebrates its first generation college students. First generation students are the first in their immediate families to pursue higher education in a college setting, embodying the essential purpose of the 1965 Higher Education Act (HEA).

November 8 was selected as the date for the annual National First-Generation College Celebration Day to honor the anniversary of the signing of the HEA during President Lyndon B. Johnson’s administration.

Like other hallmark legislation of that era, such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, HEA was intended to expand opportunities that had historically disadvantaged Americans from minority and low-income backgrounds. In addition to providing federal grants and loan programs to help students finance their educations, the legislation made key investments in institutions of higher education.

Today, first generation students are living out the promise of the HEA at National Louis and at colleges and universities around the country. Check our social media and this blog for profiles of NLU’s first-gen students throughout the remainder of the week!