Breaking New Ground—But Not Alone
As a Vassar student and graduate, Alicia Lewis ’18 navigated unfamiliar territory, learning the importance of community and shared experiences in building resilience along the way. This journey motivated her to return to campus on October 10 to share aspects of her post-college experiences with a group of juniors and seniors who, as first-generation and/or low-income (FLI) students, share similar circumstances.
Lewis, one of four alum panelists who spoke during the “FLI Forward: Preparing for Life After Vassar” program, explained why it was important to her to address current students. “I came to help them understand the importance of building a support network—not just at Vassar, but beyond—and to encourage them to find mentors, make use of the alum network, and tap into all the resources they have available to them,” she said.
Held in the Bartlett Center, the annual, day-long FLI Forward event reflects an ongoing partnership between the Vassar Center for Career Education and the FLI Program. FLI Forward helps students look beyond traditional career preparation to explore what a meaningful life after Vassar could look like for them. Using Designing Your Life (DYL) activities, participants enhanced existing peer support networks, prototyped future paths, and gained practical insights into job search and graduate school application processes. The program concluded with an alum roundtable luncheon and reception, connecting students with FLI grads who shared first-hand advice on navigating post-grad life.
The FLI Program serves about 600 students each year, according to Michelle Quock, FLI’s Director. She explained that the event was intentionally designed to address specific aspects of the FLI identity and to highlight the accomplishments of students who already arrive at Vassar with tremendous strengths and resilience. And alums want to help them succeed.
“The willingness of FLI alumni to be helpful to the next cohort is unmatched,” said Quock. “The Vassar network is powerful, and this group really wants to give back the kind of support they were given,” underscoring that the shared experience is central to FLI students.
FLI Forward attendees heard from panelists whose insights about their experiences—including what it takes to find a job, live within your means, balance work and social life, develop new skills, and maximize past and new Vassar connections—illuminated the challenges and triumphs all students share.
As the child of parents who immigrated from China before she was born, Nicole Gao ’27 has leaned into FLI since arriving at Vassar. Although she knew she and her brother were expected to attend college, she found the road to higher education unfamiliar and complex. “Talking with students and alums who are in a similar boat is very grounding,” said Gao. “It means a lot to hear advice from those graduates who are several steps ahead and know we’re still a community.”
“At its heart, FLI Forward is about making sure our students know they don’t have to do this work alone,” says Jannette Swanson, Director of External Engagement for the Center for Career Education. “By creating a dedicated space for them to engage with our team, Life Design tools, and the Vassar FLI alum network, we hope to build lasting relationships so students know they always have a partner in the CCE as they consider their next steps.”
Panelist Joshua Hernandez ’23 is applying to medical school while working as a patient care technician at Vassar Brothers Medical Center. Panelist Jamie Marinez ’24 works as a paralegal client advocate for the Legal Aid Society and has her sights set on becoming a lawyer, despite the challenge of finding time to study for the LSAT. Both are using their current positions to gain valuable experience, learn more about themselves, and prepare for next steps in their career. “I spent three years deciding if medical school is right for me,” Hernandez said.
Panelist Alexander Peña ’24, a producer, director, and founder of Tin Can Contingency, a Queens-based independent production company for early-career artists, feared losing the creativity Vassar supported. So he joined forces with other Vassar alums in the same position, even though it meant living at home and taking lower-paying jobs while he developed the skills he needed.
“FLI serves to hold you accountable while providing support,” Peña said. “It helped me learn how to stay true to my desires despite the challenges—even when the outcome isn’t clear. You may not know how what you’re doing connects to the next thing, but trust that it does. And, he added, “be the best person you can be no matter the situation. If you do that, people will remember you, because not everyone approaches life this way.”
Lewis, who now has a master’s in health administration from Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, works as a clinical research coordinator at Columbia University Irving Medical Center and is interested in advancing patient-centered research and improving health care delivery.
“Be open to trying new things, embracing uncertainty, and allowing yourself to grow and evolve,” she urged the students.