Being the first in my family to attend college is not only a privilege, it’s a wonderful honor and gives me a great sense of responsibility. As a first-generation college student from a working class family, college was the exception not necessarily the rule. Through my modest upbringing, pursuing education was a topic of conversation, as an expectation that my parents had for me even though they weren’t aware of the college process. My family has always been supportive of my academic endeavors, even if the college culture was foreign to them.
I remember wanting to attend college, but I had no idea how to get started. I ventured into the college culture, with high expectations for my college experience in pursue of my academic aspirations. DePaul University, was and continues to be a dynamic university campus with a myriad of activities, educational scholars and opportunities that enhance my skills.
During my undergraduate education, TRIO Student Support Services program staff and resources were vital in my determination and academic success. Since the beginning, I was a young motivated student, nevertheless, I needed guidance in making sure I enrolled in the correct courses and was held accountable for my educational and career goals amidst the barriers, and challenges that emerged during my four years at DePaul University. I joined the DePaul TRIO Student Support Services program sophomore year; joined the first cohort of Arnold Mitchem Fellows and transitioned to the DePaul TRIO McNair Scholars program where I engaged in an intentional curriculum that fostered critical thinking, personal awareness, engaged in research, study abroad experiences while enhancing my knowledge and skills in relation to my research interests and graduate school pursuits.
I know that deciding to join the TRIO Student Support Services program was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Who would’ve known that I would meet incredible like-minded individuals that fostered my passions, listened to my struggles, gave me vital advice, validated my experiences, and always encouraged my educational aspirations, career goals while giving me essential tools, resources, and opportunities to reach success?
TRIO programs are federally-funded by the U.S Department of Education. TRIO programs are a set of educational opportunity programs that motivate and support students from disadvantaged backgrounds in their pursuit of college degree attainment. According to the Council for Opportunity in Education, “the TRIO programs were the first national college access and retention programs to address the serious social and cultural barriers to education in America”.
TRIO programs are essential educational opportunity programs that are vital in promoting educational success, retention, persistence and providing pathways to immense opportunities for low-income, first-generation college students and students with disabilities from diverse backgrounds. According to the Council for Opportunity in Education “More than 812,000 low-income, first-generation college students and students with disabilities — from sixth grade through college graduation — are served by over 3,100 programs nationally”.
Let us not forget why we need TRIO programs — they serve as the necessary support for our diverse, underrepresented students that have been left behind by the institutional inequalities and inequities of society.
