Title:Stand-up comedy event raises $1.5M for GSP

On May 1, 2023, the second Stand Up for Georgetown comedy fundraiser event raised $1.5 million, a successful follow-on to the 2019 concert, which raised $1 million. This year’s sold-out event at the Brooklyn Academy of Music featured performances by Jim Gaffigan (B’88), John Mulaney (C’04), and Mike Birbiglia (C’00). Nick Kroll (C’01), who was unable to attend in person, recorded a video message.

Jim Gaffigan’s father Michael Gaffigan (SFS’57, Parent’87, ’88), a Georgetown alumnus, was a first-generation college student, and inspired event founders Jim and Jeannie Gaffigan (Parents’26) and Emily Chen Carrera (B’88) to found an event to support the Georgetown Scholars Program (GSP). GSP’s mission is to work towards a more equitable college experience for first-generation and low income college students, providing them with resources, mentors, and a robust support system within a tight-knit community.

Thanks to sponsorship by alumni and friends, more than 130 GSP students and recent graduates were able to attend the event.

“It’s incredibly powerful for our students to see comedians of this caliber talking about a program that they’re participating in, and talking about the value that first-generation students bring to our campus,” says Missy Foy, GSP’s executive director.