A TRIO-mendous journey to success

TRIO is a set of federally-funded college opportunity programs designed to motivate and support first-generation, low-income students, as well as students with disabilities and veterans, in pursuit of a college degree. Established by Congress in 1965, TRIO has expanded to serve over 850,000 students through more than 2,800 programs nationwide. 

At Arizona State University, sixteen federal TRIO Programs are available, including eight pre-college programs for high school students and veterans and eight college programs for current ASU students. The pre-college programs — Talent Search, Upward Bound, and Veterans Upward Bound — aim to inspire and assist participants in improving their academic and personal skills as they prepare for college. 

For undergraduates, TRIO Student Support Services provides academic support, mentoring, financial guidance, and career and professional development, helping students achieve both academic and career success.

Patty Santillanes Soto, program director for the Downtown Phoenix Campus TRIO Student Success Services programs at ASU, discussed her role in planning events and workshops to support students' needs and connecting them with additional resources. She highlighted the impact of the TRIO Summit, which helps upperclassmen with networking and career exploration through employer visits, particularly benefiting first-generation, low-income or disabled students. 

Soto emphasized how TRIO provides academic and individualized support, creates a sense of community, and offers practical assistance such as tutoring, free printing, and workshops. She shared examples of TRIO's impact, including helping students experiencing medical challenges navigate class options and financial aid details.

“We had a first-time, first-year student in their first fall semester,” she said. “They were struggling medically, and unfortunately, they were going through a hard time. A lot of hospital visits and many things on their plate. Unfortunately, their professors were not very helpful. The student wasn’t doing well in the class and didn’t know what to do, so she came to us because her professor told her to drop the class.” 

The students did not know there was an option to switch classes to one that began later that semester until they came to TRIO.

“Being able to provide that sort of information for students is what TRIO is here for,” Soto said. “Sometimes, they don't realize that they can do things like swapping their classes”

Soto also described how the program can help with financial aid concerns. 

“They don't understand the difference between a subsidized loan and an unsubsidized loan or what a federal work-study is,” Soto said. “Maybe they don’t know their qualifications to keep some of their scholarships. So, really being able to sit with them to help them out with things they might not know where to begin or how to go about is what we’re here for.”

Jose Miranda, a senior majoring in clinical exercise science at ASU, first learned about TRIO through the high school program, Upward Bound,  a college readiness initiative where students can get a taste of college life through their summer program.

"In the summer, they had this program where we stayed in the residence halls,” he said. “We kind of got that college experience to prepare us." 

Discussing his transition from Upward Bound to TRIO Student Support Services in college, he touched on how the support system remained consistent, noting that everything under the TRIO umbrella is composed of "a community of people that really just want to see you succeed."

The TRIO environment fosters connectivity through the number of events and workshops it hosts. 

"We have workshops on nutrition, FAFSA, how to get scholarships, study abroad," Miranda explains, highlighting the collaborative atmosphere that helps students form connections and support each other.

Miranda chose ASU primarily due to the support he received from the Obama scholarship, which alleviated the financial burden on his family. On top of financial support, Miranda spoke volumes of TRIO’s effectiveness and overall impact to his life. 

"I reached out to my advisor, they reached out to the financial aid office, and then they reached out to the dean,” he said. “Being in this program gave me opportunities that I would have never had if I never had the support."

TRIO is here for students to succeed, giving them the opportunity and resources they might not be able to ever have due to financial strain or being first-generation. To learn more about TRIO, visit their website.