Event honors programs that help disadvantaged students
SANFORD, N.C. — CCCC recently celebrated “National TRIO Day” with a lunch event that showcased three federal programs at CCCC that support low-income, first-generation, and academically at-risk students.
Amid the “War on Poverty” that President Lyndon Baines Johnson pursued in the 1960s, Congress established a series of programs to help disadvantaged students achieve college success.
The name “TRIO” came about as a reference to the first three programs established by Congress, though there are now more than three federal programs under the TRIO umbrella.
CCCC’s TRIO Student Support Services, Upward Bound, and Veterans Upward Bound each serve distinct groups.
TRIO Support Services focuses directly and exclusively on CCCC students, connecting them with academic resources and strengthening their financial literacy. They help students achieve high grades, graduate, and transfer to a four-year school if desired.
Upward Bound assists selected high school students in Harnett and Lee counties, equipping them with the skills and motivation to succeed in college. Students receive guidance and support throughout high school and have opportunities such as college visits, job shadowing and internships, and participation in a residential college experience for high-schoolers.
CCCC’s Veterans Upward Bound serves veterans across five counties and is the only program of its kind in the state. It helps veterans who are interested in postsecondary education get ready to attend college, at CCCC or elsewhere.
CCCC’s Dean of College Access Services Dr. Kevin Pearson told attendees that he participated in Upward Bound while he was in high school, gaining opportunities, skills and motivation for success. Now he supervises CCCC’s TRIO programs as part of his duties at the college.
“We produce graduates,” Pearson said. “We produce students that go on to graduate-level programs, produce business owners, entrepreneurs, people that are excellent citizens in our communities, that continue to push us forward from a socio-economic standpoint. And so, we want to say that not only does it work, but it will continue to work, if you will partner with us.”
