Swipe Out Hunger Partners with TIAA to Support First-Generation College Students

October 25, 2024 – Swipe Out Hunger, the national nonprofit addressing college student hunger, and TIAA, a leading provider of lifetime income whose mission is to provide a more secure retirement to millions more people, are partnering to elevate first-generation college students. Together, they will be raising awareness about the first-generation student population throughout the month of November in honor of First-Generation College Celebration Day.

More than half of college students today are first-generation, or students whose parents did not complete a bachelor’s degree. Graduating from college is a significant milestone for first-generation students and their families, but they often are required to navigate additional obstacles while in college, including an increased risk of experiencing food insecurity. This partnership between TIAA and Swipe Out Hunger will shed light on these challenges and the importance of supporting first-generation students in their pursuit of higher education.

“As we continue to see the increased need for food and basic needs support on college campuses across the country, we have to prioritize the students who have already overcome so many barriers to attend college,” said Jaime Hansen, Executive Director of Swipe Out Hunger. “By partnering with TIAA, our goal is to uplift the experiences of first-generation students while sharing helpful resources and knowledge around investing in an important part of the college community.”

Together, TIAA and Swipe Out Hunger will be hosting a virtual first-generation student celebration event in November featuring speakers from FirstGen Forward, Council for Opportunity in Education, and a Swipe Out Hunger campus partner. This event will offer insight into common challenges, best practices, and tools for supporting first-generation students with accessing food, housing, and other basic needs resources, as well as the opportunity to hear from first-generation students directly about their college experiences.

“Remarkably, 54% of college students are first generation students. At TIAA, we’re focused on improving retirement outcomes for all, including first-gen students historically prone to face retirement challenges. For these young adults to achieve a successful financial future, it’s crucial we work together to address their needs,” said Zara Mirza, Chief Brand Officer at TIAA. “We look forward to working alongside Swipe Out Hunger to remove the stigma surrounding food insecurity, encourage first-generation students to take advantage of available resources, and inspire the business community to join us in breaking down barriers for first-generation students to succeed.”

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About TIAA
TIAA is a leading provider of secure retirements and outcome-focused investment solutions to millions of people and thousands of institutions. It is the #1 not-for-profit retirement market provider, paid more than $5.6 billion in lifetime income to retired clients in 2022 and has $1.4 trillion in assets under management (as of 9/30/2024). 

About Swipe Out Hunger
Swipe Out Hunger is the national nonprofit powering the movement to end college student hunger. Swipe Out Hunger collaborates with colleges, legislators, and the greater community to address student food insecurity by championing hunger solutions, building an active network of campuses and partners, and evolving the narrative around today’s college students. Since 2010, Swipe Out Hunger has enabled 12.3 million meals across more than 850 campuses throughout North America. For more information, visit swipehunger.org.


Media Contacts
TIAA Media Contact
[email protected] 
888-200-4062

Janelle Raymundo
Director of Communications, Swipe Out Hunger
[email protected]