Graduating from college isn’t easy, especially when you’re the first in your family to do it, said Bryan Kongnyu ’25. But Cornell’s Kessler Scholars program, which supports first-generation, low-income students, helped him succeed throughout his undergraduate career – and graduate in May.

“It’s like my compass,” Kongnyu said of the program. “Whenever I felt lost, whether it was figuring out financial aid, choosing a major, or just dealing with the everyday stress of college life, there was always someone there to help, guide or just listen.”

The program will continue to support first-generation, low-income (FGLI) college students through 2030, thanks to a $1.1 million, four-year grant to extend its participation in the Kessler Scholars Collaborative. The funding will allow the Cornell program to deepen its work to promote opportunities and successful outcomes for FGLI college students. The Cornell program celebrated the graduation of its third cohort of scholars in May.

With a joint investment from Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Judy and Fred Wilpon Family Foundation, Cornell will continue to participate in Collaborative’s 16-school, national network that provides member institutions with comprehensive student support, best practices and resources to engage with FGLI students and enhance their success.

Each year, the Cornell Kessler Scholars Program selects 20 exceptional incoming first-year Cornellians to join a close-knit cohort that receives one-on-one advising and unique immersive experiences such as spring break trips to Ghana and Denmark and a retreat at Greek Peak ski area co-hosted with Kessler Scholars from Syracuse University. The program also offers students career coaching, leadership development and growth workshops. The program, which is overseen by Cornell’s First-Generation and Low-Income Student Support office, also trains peer mentors to help first-year students acclimate to Cornell’s rigorous, competitive academic environment and leverage the university’s student services and resources.

“The Cornell Kessler Scholars Program has seven rich years of creating impact and opportunities for first-generation, low-income students,” said Shannon Musgrove, associate director for student empowerment, First-Generation and Low-Income Student Support, which is part of Cornell’s Centers for Student Equity, Empowerment, and Belonging. “With this grant renewal, we are excited to continue our reach and expand our impact with partners across campus.”

According to data collected by the Kessler Scholars Collective, FGLI students make up more than half of all undergraduates in the United States. But only 24% earned bachelor’s degrees six years after starting college, compared with almost 60% of students whose parents have a bachelor’s degree. Of the Cornell Kessler Program’s inaugural cohort in 2019, 80% graduated within four years, while 95% earned a degree within five years.

Additionally, Cornell maintained an 85% retention rate for the 2020 and 2021 cohorts while thus far posting a 100% retention rate for the 2022, 2023 and 2024 cohorts. Across the Collaborative network, 76% of Kessler Scholars who started in 2020 completed a four-year degree, compared to just 59% of FGLI students who started at those same institutions in the fall 2020 but were not a part of the program.

In addition to immersive programming, advising and mentorship that the program provides, the university meets 100% of demonstrated need for all admitted undergraduates, and students with low-income backgrounds receive no-loan aid offers with zero expected family contributions.

The Cornell Kessler Scholars Program builds on that financial commitment and addresses gaps that persist beyond the standard financial aid cost of attendance. For example, each scholar receives an annual $1,500 Kessler Scholarship grant through graduation to fund internships, conferences and study-abroad opportunities.

Ben Badua is a creative content manager for Student and Campus Life.