For University of Idaho alumna Jessica Samuels, a college education wouldn”t have been possible without the aid of the TRIO program.
Samuels, who now works as an academic success counselor, said the program starts before high school and helps eligible students get on a path to college.
“It was the program that helped get me interested in UI and I wouldn”t have even gone to college without that help,” Samuels said.
UI recently received a $1.6 million grant from the federal government that will fund the program – under which thousands of students have been served – over the next five years.
Jerry Galloway, manager of student support services, said the program first came to UI”s campus in the 1980s but the initiative itself first began in 1968 as a part of Lyndon Johnson”s War on Poverty.
“The federal government established a set of three programs –– that”s why it”s called TRIO –– designed to help low-income students go to college,” he said. “There are a lot more than three programs now, and they”re all aimed at helping students succeed.”
TRIO is federally funded and includes a number of programs that vary based on a student”s age and needs, including Upward Bound and Student Support Services.
Galloway said the program serves a wide range of students, including first generation, transfer, non-traditional, low-income students as well as students with disabilities.
Among the services provided to students are academic workshops, tutoring, personal support and financial aid.
“We provide a lot of one-on-one support,” Galloway said. “We”re academic and personal coaches – it”s about what”s going on in your personal life that”s impacting you in school.”
In addition to personal and academic support, Galloway said a portion of the grant is put aside to form scholarship funds for students.
“The $1.6 million disperses into about $325,000 a year and $25,000 of that becomes scholarships for students,” he said. “The university also matches that money, so we”re able to provide students with around $45,000 in scholarships.”
Like Samuels, Academic Success Counselor Teresa Martinez also attributes her success as a University of Idaho graduate to the support she received under the TRIO program.
“I came to college as a first generation student and there was a lot I didn”t know about college,” Martinez said. “Things that I struggled with like how to fill out a FAFSA, how to reach out to professors, how to find tutors for difficult classes, are all things we help students with now.”
Both Samuels and Martinez said their experience with the TRIO program is what prompted them to seek a career in Student Support Services.
“Because of my own experience as a student, I have always been interested in giving back to the community,” Samuels said. “That”s why I came to work for Student Support Services, because of everything the TRIO program has done for me.”
Martinez and Samuels said they aim to use their experience with the program as a means of helping students build a community and acclimate to a university environment.
“The thing about this program is that it is really effective in helping students succeed,” Samuels said. “And there”s nothing more gratifying than that.”
Corrin Bond can be reached at [email protected]