On May 1, the Stand Up for Georgetown comedy fundraiser, featuring performances by comedians Jim Gaffigan (B’88, Parent’26), John Mulaney (C’04), and Mike Birbiglia (C’00) raised $1.7 million for the Georgetown Scholars Program (GSP), which seeks to create a more equitable college experience for first-generation and low-income college students. Comedian Nick Kroll (C’01), who was unable to attend in person, also appeared at the sold-out event via a pre-recorded video message. The comedy show was co-founded by Jim and Jeannie Gaffigan (Parents’26) and Emily Chen Carrera (B’88) and raised $1 million when the comedians first teamed up in 2019.
Gaffigan’s father Michael (SFS’57, Parent’87, ’88) was a first-generation college student, inspiring Jim to support GSP. GSP works to fulfill its mission by providing programmatic support, mentors, resources, and a tight-knit community of students and alumni that help scholars reach their full potential.
More than 130 GSP students and recent graduates were able to attend the event, thanks to sponsorship by alumni and friends. GSP students in attendance were also given a moment to stand and be recognized for their achievements.
“In that moment we were able to remind people what this money is going towards,” says Sabrina Perez (C’24), president of the GSP Student Board. “It was really special to have all of the GSP students stand up and represent, in a very visual way, our spot at the university,” she says.
“A lot of times, it feels like you’re going through this alone—especially if your parents didn’t go to college and you’re trying to navigate this new academic space by yourself with the support of GSP,” says Perez. “So it was very special to see there’s people you don’t even know who support you and believe in GSP’s mission, to really see the faces behind the financial and overall support of our program.”
Read more about the Stand Up for Georgetown comedy fundraiser.