{"id":1797,"date":"2017-03-31T16:25:00","date_gmt":"2017-03-31T20:25:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/coenet.org\/?p=1797"},"modified":"2022-08-19T17:44:34","modified_gmt":"2022-08-19T21:44:34","slug":"trio-student-reflects-on-testifying-before-congress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coenet.org\/news-impact\/blog\/trio-student-reflects-on-testifying-before-congress\/","title":{"rendered":"TRIO Student Reflects on Testifying Before Congress"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n<section class=\"page-banner-article alignfull coe-block\">\r\n\t<div class=\"container page-banner-article__inner\">\r\n\t\t<div class=\"page-banner-article__content wow animate fade-in-stagger\">\r\n\t\t\t<div class=\"breadcrumbs kicker\"><\/div><!-- .breadcrumbs -->\t\t\t<h1 class=\"page-banner-article__title\">TRIO Student Reflects on Testifying Before Congress<\/h1>\t\t\t<p class=\" page-banner-article__meta\">\r\n\t\t\t\tMarch 31, 2017\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n<\/section>\r\n\r\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"512\" height=\"341\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/coenet.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Photo-Joseph-Longmire-is-a-junior-at-Alabama-State-University.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1798\" srcset=\"https:\/\/coenet.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Photo-Joseph-Longmire-is-a-junior-at-Alabama-State-University.jpg 512w, https:\/\/coenet.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Photo-Joseph-Longmire-is-a-junior-at-Alabama-State-University-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/coenet.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Photo-Joseph-Longmire-is-a-junior-at-Alabama-State-University-250x167.jpg 250w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><figcaption>Joseph Longmire is a junior at Alabama State University. He testified on March 8 before the U.S. House of Representatives Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee held hearings to consider funding levels for federal TRIO programs. This oped, which appeared in his hometown paper, <em>The Greenville Advocate<\/em>, is based on his testimony.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Living in Greenville all my life helped me believe in the American Dream. But belief isn&#8217;t enough. You also need hard work. I learned that from my parents, who work seven days a week to support their four children. Yet sometimes, neither belief nor hard work can solve everything. That&#8217;s what it was like when I attended college. I needed academic support to do my best. I wasn&#8217;t sure what I wanted to do, although I knew I wanted a career in the helping professions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yet I didn&#8217;t know what career path to choose. Figuring out how to navigate the college bureaucracy wasn&#8217;t easy. That&#8217;s where federal TRIO programs help \u2014 a lot.<\/p>\n\n\n\r\n<section id=\"block-62962bb1808d9\" class=\"cta-pullout-wrapper cta-pullout alignfull coe-block\">\r\n\t<div class=\"container\">\r\n\t\t<div class=\"cta-pullout-inner wow animate fade-in-stagger\">\r\n\t\t\t<div class=\"cta-text\">Get the latest news, resources, and helpful information to assist TRIO supporters in advocating for college access and success.<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/coenet.org\/advocacy\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"acf-link button cta-pullout-button\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Advocacy Tools<\/a>\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n<\/section>\r\n\r\n\n\n\n<p>TRIO is an umbrella term. It applies to eight federally-funded programs to help students succeed in college who are low-income, disabled, or &#8220;first generation,&#8221; meaning those whose parents never graduated from college. They start as early as middle school (Talent Search) and high school (Upward Bound). The one that helped me \u2014 Student Support Services \u2014 started in college. The programs include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Coaching and academic help.<\/li><li>Extra classes.<\/li><li>Assistance in applying for college, financial aid, and advice and encouragement.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>I know it&#8217;s easy to get cynical about federal programs \u2014 things we imagine were dreamed up by someone far away in Washington. But this program helps me and hundreds of other students succeed. That became apparent when I started attending Lurleen B. Wallace Community College. I did well in high school, but I struggled with several of my college courses. I got academic assistance from the&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.lbwcc.edu\/student-services\/federal-trio-programs\/sss-program\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Student Support Services<\/strong><\/a>&nbsp;staff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The program director and staff helped me figure out the complicated transfer process to a four-year college. Without their help, I would have found myself among the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www2.ed.gov\/programs\/triostudsupp\/sss-heoa-report-2015.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>72 percent of low-income<\/strong><\/a>&nbsp;first-generation community college students who fail to transfer without additional support. Nationally, TRIO Student Support Services participants transfer at a rate that is&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www2.ed.gov\/programs\/triostudsupp\/sss-heoa-report-2015.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>46 percent higher<\/strong><\/a>, making it more likely that they will graduate from college and get higher-paying jobs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thanks to the program&#8217;s assistance at Lurleen B. Wallace Community College, last fall, I enrolled as a junior at Alabama State University, majoring in Health Rehabilitation to become an occupational therapist. Coming to a four-year institution where I didn&#8217;t know anyone, I felt lost. But then, I found the&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.alasu.edu\/academics\/trio-programs\/index.aspx\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Alabama State TRIO<\/strong><\/a>&nbsp;office, and I felt like TRIO lifted a weight off my shoulders. The staff continues to give me the academic and social support I need to succeed as I attend classes and work 30 hours a week. When I graduate, I will be the first person in my family to earn a bachelor&#8217;s degree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, I know I won&#8217;t be the last. Because Student Support Services played such a significant role in my college life, I ensured that my younger brother, now a community college freshman, also got involved with the program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Federal TRIO programs help thousands of students graduate and better themselves. They make the difference between failing or passing classes; dropping out or persevering; succumbing to overwhelming pressures, or learning to thrive amidst adversity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I hope Congress will do everything possible to increase funding for the eight TRIO programs so that more students like me will have the opportunity to achieve their college dreams.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<section class=\"slider-articles alignfull coe-block\">\r\n\t\t<div class=\"slider-articles__intro container\">\r\n\t\t\t<div class=\"slider-articles__heading\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"slider-articles__title\">Related Stories<\/h2>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"slider-nav__arrows\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"slick-arrow prev\" aria-label=\"Previous article\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg width=\"18\" height=\"31\" viewBox=\"0 0 18 31\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<path fill-rule=\"evenodd\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\"\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t  d=\"M0.787494 15.2904L15.6648 0.413086L17.7373 2.48555L4.89734 15.3255L17.7369 28.1651L15.6644 30.2375L0.787109 15.3602L0.822196 15.3251L0.787494 15.2904Z\"\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t  fill=\"white\"\/>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/svg>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"slick-arrow next\" aria-label=\"Next article\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg width=\"18\" height=\"31\" viewBox=\"0 0 18 31\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<path fill-rule=\"evenodd\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\"\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t  d=\"M17.2848 15.2904L2.40744 0.413086L0.33498 2.48555L13.1749 15.3255L0.335363 28.1651L2.40783 30.2376L17.2852 15.3602L17.2501 15.3251L17.2848 15.2904Z\"\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t  fill=\"white\"\/>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/svg>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\r\n\t\t<ul class=\"slider-articles__slides list-unstyled init\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"post-card post-card--vertical with-image \">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"post-card__image\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image to-square bg-img\"\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t style=\"background-image: url(' https:\/\/coenet.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Rectangle-1623.jpg ')\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/coenet.org\/news-impact\/blog\/from-the-ozarks-to-international-fora-trio-forges-foreign-service-diplomats\/\" class=\"link-reset link-overlay\" tabindex=\"-1\" data-tabindex=\"-1\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\r\n                                    <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Click to view the page: From the Ozarks to International Fora, TRIO Forges Foreign Service Diplomats<\/span>\r\n                                <\/a>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"post-card__content\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"kicker wow\">Blog<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"post-card__title h3-medium wow\"><a href=\"https:\/\/coenet.org\/news-impact\/blog\/from-the-ozarks-to-international-fora-trio-forges-foreign-service-diplomats\/\" target=\"_self\">From the Ozarks to International Fora, TRIO Forges Foreign Service Diplomats<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"post-card__meta wow\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"post-card post-card--vertical with-image \">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"post-card__image\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image to-square bg-img\"\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t style=\"background-image: url(' https:\/\/coenet.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Rectangle-1975-500x500.jpg ')\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/coenet.org\/news-impact\/blog\/how-thomas-r-wolanin-intern-matt-tessema-is-becoming-a-voice-for-the-underrepresented\/\" class=\"link-reset link-overlay\" tabindex=\"-1\" data-tabindex=\"-1\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\r\n                                    <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Click to view the page: How Thomas R. Wolanin Intern Matt Tessema is \u201cBecoming a Voice for the Underrepresented&#8221;<\/span>\r\n                                <\/a>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"post-card__content\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"kicker wow\">Blog<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"post-card__title h3-medium wow\"><a href=\"https:\/\/coenet.org\/news-impact\/blog\/how-thomas-r-wolanin-intern-matt-tessema-is-becoming-a-voice-for-the-underrepresented\/\" target=\"_self\">How Thomas R. Wolanin Intern Matt Tessema is \u201cBecoming a Voice for the Underrepresented&#8221;<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"post-card__meta wow\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tby <span class=\"author\">Holly Hexter<\/span>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"post-card post-card--vertical with-image \">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"post-card__image\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image to-square bg-img\"\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t style=\"background-image: url(' https:\/\/coenet.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Chris-Williamson-Headshot-500x500.jpg ')\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/coenet.org\/news-impact\/blog\/senate-confirms-trio-alumnus-christopher-williamson-to-lead-msha-2\/\" class=\"link-reset link-overlay\" tabindex=\"-1\" data-tabindex=\"-1\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\r\n                                    <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Click to view the page: Senate Confirms TRIO Alumnus Christopher Williamson to Lead MSHA<\/span>\r\n                                <\/a>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"post-card__content\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"kicker wow\">Blog<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"post-card__title h3-medium wow\"><a href=\"https:\/\/coenet.org\/news-impact\/blog\/senate-confirms-trio-alumnus-christopher-williamson-to-lead-msha-2\/\" target=\"_self\">Senate Confirms TRIO Alumnus Christopher Williamson to Lead MSHA<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"post-card__meta wow\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tby <span class=\"author\">Terrance L. Hamm<\/span>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"post-card post-card--vertical with-image \">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"post-card__image\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image to-square bg-img\"\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t style=\"background-image: url(' https:\/\/coenet.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/003.jpg ')\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/coenet.org\/news-impact\/press-releases\/trio-alumna-jackie-fortmann-blazes-trails-here\/\" class=\"link-reset link-overlay\" tabindex=\"-1\" data-tabindex=\"-1\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\r\n                                    <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Click to view the page: TRIO Alumna Jackie Fortmann Blazes Trails Here<\/span>\r\n                                <\/a>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"post-card__content\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"kicker wow\">Press Releases<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"post-card__title h3-medium wow\"><a href=\"https:\/\/coenet.org\/news-impact\/press-releases\/trio-alumna-jackie-fortmann-blazes-trails-here\/\" target=\"_self\">TRIO Alumna Jackie Fortmann Blazes Trails Here<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"post-card__meta wow\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"date\">April 19, 2022<\/span>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\r\n\t\t\t<\/section>\r\n\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Living in Greenville all my life helped me believe in the American Dream. But belief isn&#8217;t enough. You also need hard work. I learned that from my parents, who work seven days a week to support their four children. Yet sometimes, neither belief nor hard work can solve everything. That&#8217;s what it was like when&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":[],"featured_media":1798,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[70],"tags":[145,146,151,147,157],"trio_programs":[10],"audience":[149],"focus_areas":[148],"class_list":["post-1797","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","tag-advocacy","tag-appropriations","tag-congress","tag-house","tag-student-voices","trio_programs-student-support-services","audience-advocacy","focus_areas-advocacy"],"acf":[],"cp_meta_data":{"_edit_lock":["1660945979:8"],"_encloseme":["1"],"_wp_old_date":["2022-08-19","2022-03-31"],"_thumbnail_id":["1798"],"_edit_last":["8"],"_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":["70"],"_yoast_wpseo_primary_trio_programs":["10"],"_yoast_wpseo_primary_audience":["149"],"_yoast_wpseo_primary_focus_areas":["148"],"_yoast_wpseo_content_score":["90"],"_yoast_wpseo_estimated-reading-time-minutes":["3"],"_yoast_wpseo_wordproof_timestamp":[""]},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>TRIO Student Reflects on Testifying Before Congress - Council for Opportunity in Education<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/coenet.org\/news-impact\/blog\/trio-student-reflects-on-testifying-before-congress\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"TRIO Student Reflects on Testifying Before Congress - Council for Opportunity in Education\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Living in Greenville all my life helped me believe in the American Dream. But belief isn&#8217;t enough. You also need hard work. I learned that from my parents, who work seven days a week to support their four children. Yet sometimes, neither belief nor hard work can solve everything. 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