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Del Rio Evelyn

Professor Batty

English 101

30 May 2019

TRIO is Here to Help: An Insight On Low Income First Generation Students and Their

Journey to be Successful

For as long as I can remember, we were always told that we need to go to college in order

to be successful, and that stuck with most of us throughout our whole life, but they failed to

mention the struggles many college students will face. For instance, first generation low income

college students are struggling to pay for their college expenses and most do not know where to

find the aid they so desperately need. These college students are students who are the first in

their family to attend college or university, but face financial struggles. This category of

scholars, specifically those with low income, undergo many challenges along the way such as the

struggle to clear their fees. They have no idea where they can get the aid to help them steer their

academic journey, however there are programs which are available in university and colleges for

instance the TRIO program that could be very helpful to the students to overcome the difficulties

of paying their fees and other expenses.

It is only about 30% of first generation scholars who make it to university and colleges to

pursue undergraduate courses (Fernandez). One third of that percentage is of the age of thirty

years and above. Mostly, this category of students get involved for part-time class, which implies

that a good percentage of them take more than the intended years of schooling, four years to

graduate. Two-thirds of first-generation students get admitted to a for-profit or community

college or university. A good percentage of the first generation students hardly make it to
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graduation at the right time because of several obstacles. Such challenges include; college

readiness, they are always unprepared to pursue college education hence making them struggle to

navigate their resources. The biggest problem still remains, the financial one. They lack adequate

capital to not only cater for their tuition expenses but also their daily needs while attending

college. Other challenges include unfamiliarity with college curriculum, racial disparity, and low

self-esteem among others.

A single solution that can help them is programs which are available in universities and

colleges, for instance, the TRIO programs. They are designed to provide counseling and

mentorship as well as find the right aid to students of lower income or disadvantaged

backgrounds. TRIO provides many programs to individuals to serve and assist low-income

individuals, starting from middle school all the way till college. TRIO also includes a training

program for directors and staff which is used to allow staff to have more knowledge on the

struggles certain scholars face and teaches them how to approach the situation the scholar is

facing .It can significantly help scholars from humble background and setups go through college

or university with ease ("TRIO Home Page"). There are a variety of programs available under

TRIO but here are just a few that have helped thousands of scholars achieve their goals.

One program under TRIO includes the Upward Bound Program. This is among the first

TRIO program created. It is mainly concerned with students from high school who come from

less fortunate backgrounds, live in rural setups, or have parents with no college or universities

knowledge (Fernandez). This program is for those scholars who neither parent holds a bachelor's

degree. The goal of this program is to increase the rate at which participants complete secondary

education and enroll in and graduate from institutions of postsecondary education. Upward

Bound projects provide academic instruction in mathematics, laboratory sciences, composition,

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literature, and foreign languages. Tutoring, counseling, mentoring, cultural enrichment, work-

study programs, education or counseling services are also available and designed to improve the

financial and economic literacy of students. The scholars who successfully enter Upward Bound

program are entitled to personal grants.

The second program is Talent Search, also known as TS(Fernandez). It targets students

from families with low income or have parents who do not have college and university

education. Though it is grant sponsored, it uses intervention mechanisms to aid scholars who are

in high schools and middle schools proceed to an institution of higher learning such as colleges

and universities. Talent Search also encourages people who have not completed education

programs at the secondary or postsecondary level to enter or reenter and complete postsecondary

education. The goal of Talent Search is to increase the number of youth from disadvantaged

backgrounds who complete high school and enroll in and complete their postsecondary

education. It offers assistance to those who have dropped out or wish to re-enter school assisting

them with guidance and practices for those college entrance exams. In order to participate in this

program Students must be between the ages of 11 and 27 and have completed the fifth grade.

Another program offered under TRIO is the Student Support Services. For this program,

grants are entitled to colleges and universities through a national competition. It is designed to

assist scholars throughout college or university, including their basic needs and also graduation

fees. It is intended towards college or university retention, graduation charges, and aiding

scholars who are getting Pell Grants. To receive SSS program grant aid, students must be current

participants in the SSS project who are in their first two years of postsecondary education and

receiving Federal Pell Grants. Grant aid may be offered to students who have completed their

first two years of postsecondary education and are receiving Federal Pell Grants if the institution
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demonstrates that these students are at high risk of dropping out and it has first met the needs of

all its eligible first and second-year students.

The Veterans Upward Bound, also known as the VUB is another program under TRIO

and it is solely designed for veterans. It empowers women and men who have sacrificed to serve

the country in the military to transfigure more efficiently into universities and colleges ("Upward

Bound Math-Science"). VUB offers free college and universities in the field such as

Mathematics, English, and Computer Science. The veterans get personalized consideration from

experienced lecturers and mentors and they also receive wide-ranging support services, for

example, guidance and advisement on GI Bill assistance with the college or university

admissions and registration procedures. Participants must meet military service requirements

stipulated in the authorizing statute and be low-income, prospective first-generation college

students who are preparing to enter a postsecondary institution.

The final program that I will be mentioning is The Upward Bound Math-Science. This

program is designed to fortify the science and math capabilities of participating scholars

(Fernandez). The objective of this program is to assist scholars in recognizing and build their

potential and excel in science and math hence encouraging them to future pursue degrees in the

field of the two disciplines. Students must be eligible to participate in the Upward Bound

program and must have completed the eighth grade. However, participants do not necessarily

have to be participating in a regular Upward Bound program in order to be eligible to the math-

science upward bound.

However, as much as programs such as TRIO is highly advocated for first-generation

scholars, it has its limitations. For example, some of the funds given as grants might be required

to be paid back by the beneficiaries once the college life gets completed. It may attract huge
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interest thus disadvantaging the scholar.

Based on the points above, it is right to conclude that first-generation scholars should find

an appropriate TRIO program that fit them well. It will help the student from the less fortunate

background pay their fees with ease, increase their self-esteem, and overall help them succeed in

what they are trying to pursue in college. TRIO has eight programs, some of which I mentioned,

used to assist the less fortunate students to have the same rights as those who are privileged and

both be successful in college and in their future careers.

Works Cited

Fernandez, Maria. "What It Means To Be A First-Generation College Student - College Raptor."

College Raptor Website. N.p., 2018. Web. 18 Mar. 2019.

"TRIO Home Page." Www2.ed.gov. N.p., 2018. Web. 18 Mar. 2019.

"Upward Bound Math-Science." Www2.ed.gov. N.p., 2018. Web. 18 Mar. 2019.