Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

With GSP, Building a Discussion on Class

Julia Hennrikus
Julia Hennrikus

The Georgetown Scholarship Program is a community of 640 high-achieving, low-income and trailblazing students who are, for the most part, the first in their family to attend college. The community, celebrating its 10th anniversary, is made up of a diverse group of students of different faiths, ages, abilities, sexual orientations, genders, races and experiences.

Currently 21 percent of GSPers are white, 28 percent are black and 14 percent are Asian. Some students in the program self-identify with the middle class, while others identify as working class or low income. While GSPers may be diverse in interests and backgrounds, two very important things remain true about all of us.

First, we have all worked hard to get to Georgetown and are proud of being selected to be part of a program as competitive and prestigious as GSP. The second is that we are not poor.

We often hear “poor” used to describe students of modest backgrounds, and we find it problematic, in light of the rich experiences of low-income students. First and foremost, to call someone poor implies that they are “worse than is usual or desirable.” This term implies that one does not add value or lacks the sufficient means to do so, which is incredibly precarious because it discounts the perseverance and grit it takes to come from a humble upbringing.

Since joining the GSP board this past fall, we have spent a great deal of time talking to representatives from our peer institutions about the best practices to build holistic institutional support for first-generation college students. GSP is a model for universities across the United States and is looking to support this demographic.

To put the success of the program in perspective, the national average of first-generation college students graduating in four years is 39 percent. And while 70 percent of GSP students are first generation students, 97 percent of GSP students graduate in four years. With that statistic alone, it is clear that there are a lot of reasons to be #GSProud.

GSP is working because it treats every participant with dignity and respect. Any time a student feels that his or her socioeconomic background is inhibiting him or her from success, there is an office full of cheerleaders believing in our capabilities and giving us the resources to succeed. We are never made to feel like a charity case and are charged to recognize our self-worth as students with limitless potential and bright futures.

To celebrate the growth, successes and this year’s 10th anniversary of GSP, the student board launched the #GSProud social media campaign. The #GSProud launch created a forum that allowed GSPers, as we often call ourselves, to reflect on our experiences with socioeconomic status at Georgetown.

As one student proudly stated, “From ensuring that my first night on the Hilltop was warm by providing me bedding for the nights to come, to ensuring my way home in times of family crises; GSP has held my hand and heart through the most trying and rewarding moments of my Georgetown career.”

One thing was incredibly clear to us as we read posts throughout the day and it is that despite the inclusion of the word “scholarship” in the program’s title, GSP is much more than a funding source. GSP is a family and future that purports equity in an institution of higher education. Over the past 10 years, GSP has positively affected the lives of 1,000 current students and alumni of the program.

We need to recognize how incredibly far Georgetown has come and needs to go. In the past few years, this conversation about identifying as part of an organization for predominantly low-income and first-generation college students was unprecedented. Participation in this campaign was truly a demonstration of solidarity, strength and love.

We believe that #GSProud should just be the beginning of larger conversations about class at Georgetown. While there is still much work to be done to address issues of socioeconomic status on our campus, we want to take this moment to commend all the supporters of a one-of-a-kind program that ensures all students who are accepted into Georgetown have the opportunity not only to survive, but to thrive.

Jimmy Ramirez and Colleen Roberts are seniors in the College. They are chairs of advocacy and strategic partnerships for the Georgetown Scholarship Program.

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