Mission of the Guide:
I hope this guide not only serves as a financial foundation for your time at Stanford University, but also throughout your life. This guide was put together by me, Christopher Middleton (Class of ‘16), on behalf of Mind Over Money & the Diversity and First-Gen Office to support members of the FLI community. Mind Over Money is a collaborative effort led by Student Financial Services and is dedicated to equipping students with the knowledge to make informed financial decisions during their time at Stanford and their lives beyond the Farm. The Diversity and First-Gen Office was created in 2011 to address the needs of FLI students at Stanford. The full-time faculty staff and student staff work to create programming that focuses on enriching the experience of FLI college students by supporting their transitions, empowerment, and community building.
My time as a first-generation and low-income undergraduate at Stanford University helped me understand the potential challenges and obstacles students like me may face. The first-generation and/or low-income -- or “FLI” -- undergraduate community has a history of creating resources to serve the community. I wanted to create a guide for the FLI community -- from the FLI community, without placing the burden on current students. This guide contains strategies and resources that discuss financial literacy in general and also specifically in the context of serving FLI students at Stanford University. Basically, I wrote the guide I wish I received during my first quarter at Stanford University.