UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State Chaiken Center for Student Success invites nominations for three first-gen awards and applications for an undergraduate scholarship. Nominations and applications are due Oct. 2.
Nomination forms are open now at success.psu.edu for the First-Gen Recognition Awards:
- First-Gen Trailblazer, a student award recognizing a first-gen student who is a trailblazer in the University community
- First-Gen Champion, recognizing a faculty or staff member who has demonstrated excellence in supporting first-gen students
- Outstanding First-Gen Program, which recognizes a first-gen program in the University community
Undergraduate students can apply for the 2026 Derek Thomson Sheely First-Generation Scholarship, which awards $1,800 to one outstanding, first-gen student at the University Park campus who demonstrates leadership and a strong commitment or involvement within the first-gen community. Applications, which can be found here, are due Oct. 2.
Recipients will be announced at the First-Generation Community Night Nov. 4.
Events for the First-Generation Celebration in November
The following events at the University Park campus are sponsored by the Penn State Chaiken Center for Student Success. Other Penn State campuses and colleges will also celebrate National First-Generation College Celebration Day in November. Additional events will be highlighted in October at success.psu.edu.
HUB Takeover
11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nov. 2, HUB-Robeson Center
Celebrate being #PSUFirstGen with food, activities, giveaways and prizes. There will be opportunities to meet members of the First-Gen Advocates (FGA) student organization and the Eta Psi chapter of the Tri-Alpha Honor Society to find out how to support or join Penn State’s first-generation community. Also on hand will be representatives from different centers to share resources, events and programs for first-gen students.
Tri-Alpha Induction Ceremony
5:30 p.m. Nov. 2, Freeman Auditorium, HUB-Robeson Center
Join the Eta Psi chapter of the Tri-Alpha First-Generation Honor Society as they induct their fourth class and recognize the accomplishments of first-gen scholars, faculty, staff and alumni.
First-Generation Community Night
6 to 8 p.m. (doors open at 5:30 p.m.) Nov. 4, Freeman Auditorium, HUB-Robeson Center
Join first-gen students, faculty, staff and alumni for a mixer with free food, networking, first-gen recognition awards and door prizes.
About the Chaiken Centers at Penn State
Gene (Penn State class of 1962) and Roz Chaiken are the benefactors of five success centers at Penn State. In 2021, they created the Chaiken Center for Student Success in the College of the Liberal Arts — a center designed to provide students with the resources, programming, and other support needed to help them succeed in their studies. A subsequent gift in 2024 led to the naming of four additional Chaiken Centers across the University: the Penn State Chaiken Center for Student Success in Undergraduate Education, the Chaiken Center for Student Success in the College of Information Sciences and Technology, the Chaiken Center for Student Success at Penn State World Campus, and the Chaiken Center for Student Success at Penn State Abington.