First-generation college students take center stage as part of new collegewide initiativeby Tony MooreIt started as a handful of students found one another and formed a club, and now it’s grown into something much larger: Dickinson has been accepted into FirstGen Forward, the national network dedicated to advancing the success of first-generation college students. Recognizing & StrengtheningEllen Min '04, associate director for student access and achievement and Trendsetters' advisor, said the FirstGen Forward designation validates work already underway on campus. “That strong foundation makes our membership in the FirstGen Forward Network especially meaningful. As a first-generation college student herself, she sees the initiative as continuing unfinished work. The future, as FirstGen Forward puts it, is first-gen. At Dickinson, that future has been taking shape one student at a time—and now has an institution, and a nation of peer institutions, standing behind it.