First Gen Week 2025

Feature 1

She carries the women in her family into every room she once thought was not meant for her.

Feature 2

For Aaliyah, resilience lives in the everyday work of showing up, figuring it out, and becoming.

Feature 3

Armani carries her mother’s ten-year journey with her, turning sacrifice into belonging.

First Gen Week 2025 was a short-form storytelling campaign created around Rutgers’ First-Gen Student Union Chat & Chew event, a gathering where first-generation students and alumni shared stories of perseverance, graduation, belonging, and advice for navigating college.

Filmed as the event was getting underway and released throughout First Gen Week, the series extended the spirit of Chat & Chew beyond the room. Through three personal Reels, the campaign spotlighted first-generation students reflecting on family sacrifice, imposter syndrome, resilience, community, and the confidence it takes to claim space in unfamiliar rooms.