We recently sat down with Dr. Rabekah D. Stewart, Executive Director – TRIO Programs and Multicultural Student Retention to learn more about the TRIO Program. TRIO fosters student growth through academic and cultural enrichment, social interaction, and service to others.
What is TRIO? A pipeline of programs ranging from middle school to graduate school for college access, retention, and success for first-generation and low-income persons. All of the programs are federally funded by the U.S. Department of education on 5-year cycles. The programs are as follows: Education Talent Search, Upward Bound Classic, Student Support Services, Education Opportunity Centers, Upward Bound Math & Science, Veteran’s Upward Bound, and Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Program.
Who is eligible for TRIO and how do you apply to be a part of the program? Are you in TRIO for four years? What standards do you have to meet to stay in the program? Here at MSU, we have TRIO Upward Bound and Student Support Services. For Upward Bound, students have an application process which does include income verification. Selected students will then interview and discuss more about the program specifically. Then students are admitted. We begin recruiting in the spring of the 8th grade year. Enrollment is rolling, so students can apply at anytime after the summer prior to their 9th grade year up until their 11th grade year in high school. Seniors are not accepted. Students’ duration in the program depends on when they entered the program. It is ideal to get them in the 9th grade, but that does not always happen. Students must live within the target school area, maintain a 2.5 GPA, be in good standing at their high school, participate in all mandatory activities for Upward Bound, and must have a desire to go to college. For Student Support Services: Students submit an application, including income verification documentation. They also participate in an interview with program staff. Once admitted, they are paired with a peer mentor and begin our first-year experience activities. Students can enter at any stage of their college career, except for their senior year. All participants must maintain a 2.5 GPA or better, maintain good standing with the university, meet all required advising sessions, workshops, and activities set forth by the program.
What services are offered to the students in the program? Both programs offer tutoring, peer mentoring, retention/intrusive advising and counseling, first-year experience program, cultural exposure, career exploration, financial literacy & financial aid workshops, and college readiness curriculum that includes ACT test prep (Upward Bound only), and graduate school exploration (Student Support Services).
What are the benefits to the students that participate in the program? The benefits of this program are academic and social support, remediation, relationship-building, career exploration, cultural awareness, semester stipend, and the program is completely free to students. This list could go on and on. The benefits are many and some are realized during the college years, and others are realized well after college completion.
Learn more about TRIO here.