I Am A First-Gen Niner is a collaborative initiative to assist our First-Generation Niners on campus to feel proud of their First-Gen Identity and celebrate them as they pass milestones in their experience as a First-Generation Niner. What's a First-Generation Niner? A First-Generation Niner is a student who is the first in their immediate family to receive a degree from a four-year institution, this means neither their parents nor their guardians received a degree from a four-year institution.