GFLI@MIT

Become a part of MIT's first community of First Generation/Low Income
students across all Graduate Programs.

Join Us

What does it mean to be “GFLI”?

Hi MIT! We're GFLI@MIT (pronounced "G-Fly"), the new and only organization catered to first generation college graduates and low income students (GFLI) across all MIT graduate programs! Our logo embodies the belief that GFLI students belong at MIT, and the ability of GFLI students to "fly" to new heights beyond the stars.

The “GFLI” label encompasses all first-generation and/or low income graduate students (master's or PhDs) and postdocs at MIT. This identity is often self-defined, but MIT typically refers to these identities in the following ways:

  • First-generation: Graduate students/Postdocs who are the first in the family to have pursued and graduated from a 4-year college.
  • Low-income: Graduate students/Postdocs who grew up in a low-income household, received a Pell grant, or whose parent contribution for undergraduate education was ≤ $5000.

What events do we have?

Join us for some of our events

Alumni Speaker Workshops

We invite FLI alumni to talk about their graduate experience at MIT, offer their advice, and connect with GFLI students.

Lead: Richard Van

Community-Building Events

We host social and networking events to facilitate a tight-knit FLI community.

Lead: Ozioma Ozor-Ilo

Grad-Undergrad FLI Mentorship

We mentor undergraduate FLI students to decrease structural barriers of higher education.

Lead: Eileen Pan & Parisa Yousefpour, PhD

Members Benefits

Networking, professional development, great food, and a GFLI family.

Events & Activities

Be the first to know about events and add our group calendar to your schedule.

Exclusive Resources

Subscribe to our mailing list or follow our social media to hear about upcoming events.

Connections

Meet graduate students from all over MIT with shared backgrounds and experiences.

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Officers

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Members

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Events

GFLI students at MIT are trailblazers, forging new paths that significantly alter not only their own futures but also the destinies of their families and communities. The journeys of GFLIers at MIT create a rich and vibrant tapestry of intersectionality where diverse backgrounds converge to craft unique stories. GFLI@MIT serves as a safe space where every first-generation, low-income voice is heard, every background is welcomed, every experience is valued, every individual is empowered, and our identity is celebrated. In this space, we don’t just belong at MIT; we transform it.

Diana Grass

Co-Founder and Co-President, GFLI@MIT

Having a community like GFLI is so important to the journey that many academics take through grad school. The community that we build together is the support that allows many GFLI students to feel comfortable at a university like MIT where many come from either legacy backgrounds or generations of college education. GFLI@MIT means a space to build connections, be around those with similar backgrounds as me, and maximize potential. GFLI@MIT means represenation for those who making it to graduate school is sometimes only a dream and very rarely a reality.

Ozioma Ozor-Ilo

Community Programming Chair, GFLI@MIT

Every voice at MIT brings an important and unique perspective. Our first generation graduate students work past significant barriers and boundaries unseen to most, while bringing forth new ideas, providing key insights, and giving back to our communities using the potential and power of their scholarship.

Dr. Paula Hammond

Faculty Advisor, GFLI@MIT

Having a community of people who "get it", those who understand what its like to navigate higher ed without many resources but also intrinsically hold the desire to make the path easier for those coming after us, is critical for the retention of FLI students in academia. The GFLI identity is so unique as it breeds such resilient changemakers and is incredibly diverse, overlapping with many other backgrounds. Having a community that can embrace that commonality, celebrate the intersectionality, and uplift eachother is really the strength of GFLI@MIT.

Kimberly Bennett

Co-Founder and Co-President, GFLI@MIT

Latest Posts

Catch up on the latest news from our GFLI@MIT people.

Parisa award

Parisa Yousefpour, PhD receives advising award

GFLI postdoc and exec member, Parisa was selected by the Undergraduate Advising Center Awards Committee to receive the FLI (First Generation/Low Income) Student Support and Advocacy Award!

representation STEM latin

The power of representation and connectivity in STEM education

Bridging Talents and Opportunities event serves as an outreach initiative for the Latin community.

Read more
Kimberly B

Kimberly Rose Bennett awarded HHMI Gilliam Fellowship

GFLI PhD student Kimberly Rose Bennett awarded HHMI Gilliam Fellowship!

Read more