FLIP National

FLIP National is applying for The Elevate Prize because we want to be able to realize our vision of a world of higher education in which FGLI students are able to fulfill their academic potential and achieve their career ambitions.  We are passionate about amplifying the voices of those we serve and ensuring every FGLI student has access to the resources they need to flourish. As a nonprofit, we have a need to build capacity by leveraging an engaged board of directors and expanding our network to professionalize our organization.

The capacity building, close mentorship, and expanded opportunities for networking through the Elevate Prize Foundation would tremendously elevate our ability to help uplift FGLI student populations. Media and marketing of our efforts is another focus, and we would be able to effectively leverage our chapters and social media followings to amplify our work in coordination with the Global Hero campaign. The Elevate Prize will enable us to overcome financial and capacity constraints to accelerate our work to the next level.  In short, this prize would allow us to build an institution that allows FGLI students to pursue their passions and level the playing field of opportunity for FGLI students nationwide.

My first time in college, I went to UNC Chapel Hill.  However, while at UNC, my dad got laid off and my mom got sick, so I had to leave school to start working to support 2 households until they could get back on their feet (my parents are divorced).  I then had a 7-year break in my education, during which time I became a paralegal and was recognized by the federal government as an expert in loan modifications at the height of the foreclosure crisis working on behalf of struggling homeowners.  I then returned to school, earning an associate degree from community college before transferring to Columbia University, graduating in 2018.

FLIP National gives me the opportunity to make an impact in the lives of millions of FGLI college students across the country, which in turn can shape the future of our world.  I want to fundamentally shift the paradigm of how we think about higher education in this country and have the discussion about FGLI student advocacy and support be second nature to that discussion in the way that it is a given that taking the SAT/ACT is a requirement of getting into college.

First-generation students represent half of the US college population.  However, only 11% of FGLI students will have a college degree within six years of enrolling in school, compared to 55% of their more advantaged non-FGLI peers. Without a college degree, a person will earn an average of $17,500 less per year than college graduates. To address this problem, FLIP National works with FGLI students to more effectively advocate for themselves on their campuses. We carry out our mission in three ways:

1. Building a community for FGLI students within and across institutions of higher learning

2. Crafting, implementing and/or expanding initiatives to address various target areas (e.g., food and housing insecurity, academic development, awareness and visibility, etc.) that affect the success and well-being of FGLI students in institutions of higher learning

3. Advocating for policy changes on a macro level to support FGLI students across the country (i.e., legislation, best practices, changes to university policy, etc.)

FLIP National’s core tenet is that we center student advocacy and the student voice by promoting the formation of dedicated FGLI student organizations that address the community’s issues. These student organizations become FLIP National chapters, which we work with to affect institutional change on their respective campuses.

FLIP National is innovative because it implements a student-centered approach to address the issues that FGLI students face, whereas many other organizations do not. Students know best what they need on their campuses, and their involvement is vital in crafting solutions to enhance their undergraduate experience. We also recognize the adversarial nature of the relationship between student advocates and institutions.  Specifically, institutions are resistant to change and often employ tactics designed to preserve a status quo that benefits them. Institutions are often so focused on their desire to preserve a positive public image that they are reluctant to acknowledge the dire conditions under which FGLI students live on their campuses. Since FLIP National has had success creating changes at multiple institutions thus far, we know how to circumvent the tactics that institutions employ to ensure that change can happen.  Our core thesis as an organization is that students should have a say in the resources that are created for them and drive the conversation about how best to address their needs.  The power of student voice is essential to contributing to conversations on college campuses about disrupting the traditional narratives that do not account for the FGLI experience.

We work with students at colleges to either start student organizations or support existing student organizations that address FGLI student issues and implement initiatives at a campus level. The fellows are students who identify as FGLI across the country, which allows for a preliminary understanding of the struggles of this identity on campuses and facilitates a stronger connection between FLIP National and the students it serves. FLIP National prioritizes student voices as decisions that institutions make most directly affect them. Our approach to engaging in this work is effective because students know how they want to be supported and are capable of creating change.  We are also harnessing the passion and enthusiasm of students that want their voices heard and to have a meaningful seat at the table as it relates to the crafting of policies aimed at supporting them.

FLIP National is also building student-driven initiatives and resources based on what students say they want and the issues that students have identified.  Empowering FGLI students and giving them a forum and a platform to make their voices heard results in resources that are better known and used more often by FGLI students, which make them more effective overall.