FLI community dinner emphasizes student voice and resilience
Around 170 First Generation, Low Income (FLI) students and staff attended a community dinner on Monday evening at the Tressider Oak Lounge. The event, hosted by the FLI Student Success Center (FLISSC), was centered around the concept of “rooted and rising” — the notion that FLI students can flourish while remaining connected to their past and culture.
The event, which was open to first-year and transfer FLI students, featured several speakers, including chair of the Undergraduate Senate (UGS) David Sengthay ’26, Gordon Allen ’26, FLISSC director Lien K. Truong and associate vice provost for inclusion, community and integrative learning, Samuel Santos.
“To remain here [at Stanford] as your full self is really an act of courage. Every time you ask a question, every time you refuse to shrink your voice, you’re already transforming this University,” Santos said in his speech to FLI students. He added that emotions initiate purpose, mentioning the current government shutdown and the consequent detriments many communities are experiencing.
“If you’re feeling angry or frustrated or confused or cold, that’s great. You should use that. Use that to be here and excel and finish,” Santos said.
Allen added that past adversities were integral to instituting change, alluding to his childhood neighborhood communities “broken by policy” and “neglected by those in power.”
“Your roots are your power, and they are the reason your rise will lift others,” he said.
The speakers also emphasized the importance of student-led initiatives and student voice in ensuring that the FLI community was a home. Sengthay said that he and Esmeralda Matias ’27 actively reached out to students in the 2025 Summer Bridge program to bridge the gap between the Summer Bridge Program and the FLI Community.
The pre-frosh Summer Bridge Program, also known as Leveling the Learning Landscape (L3), replaced former pre-frosh bridge programs intended for FLI students. These programs — including LSP, SSEA, SOAR, and THRIVE — and were terminated with little student input, sparking outrage within the FLI community.
Santos also said that student activism and leadership were critical in institutional decision-making.
“I keep coming back to students being partners at the table and designing what their experience is here,” he said, calling for greater student diversity. “What makes [the FLI community] such a unique and powerful community is all of these diverse perspectives and experiences,” he added. “We all would benefit from having more diverse perspectives and experiences.”
Similarly, Truong said that she would love to see the FLI community grow.
“I want the student community to grow in a way with a lot of pride, celebration and that they too belong here,” she said.
Attendee Jason Ferrel ’29 expressed his appreciation for the event. “The FLISSC staff and community put a lot of effort into making all students feel welcome,” he wrote to the Daily.
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