TRIO program at JCC helps students succeed

This article was written for our sponsor, Johnston Community College.

Phelicia Thompson was a student at Johnson Community College (JCC) when she and her husband faced financial hardship. She prayed for a sustainable way to pay bills and feed her family.

“All I can remember was feeling overwhelmed with life and school,” Thompson said.

Then she learned about TRIO, a program that offers tailored support to students so each can achieve academic and personal success while at JCC. For Phelicia, that meant connecting with mentors who cared about her academic success, who taught her to manage her time and study habits, and who encouraged her to focus on her strengths and engage with other students. She also took advantage of the Elevation Market, a campus-wide food pantry and professional clothing collection operated by TRIO.

The program was so transformative that Thompson became a TRIO tutor to help other students like herself. Today she is the Learning Strategies Specialist and Tutor Coordinator in the TRIO department at JCC, and a Nationally Certified English Peer Tutor for TRIO.

“TRiO is my safe haven and place of comfort,” Thompson said. “It is my home away from home.”

What is TRiO?

TRiO evolved from the Higher Education Act of 1965, which was signed into law to strengthen the educational resources of colleges and universities and to provide financial assistance to students in postsecondary education. Specifically, TRiO refers to three programs that were borne from the Higher Education Act: Upward Bound, Talent Search and Student Support Service. The umbrella program offers a structure of support for students from disadvantaged or underrepresented populations to move successfully from middle school through to earning a Ph.D.

JCC began its TRIO program in 2001. In the current funding cycle, the U.S. Department of Education will provide $275K a year to JCC through 2025 to support 160 students. TRIO students must have a high school diploma, enroll in a curriculum program of study, and remain in good academic standing.

Student demographics vary widely in TRIO, as do the challenges the students face. Some are young, right out of high school, who never left home and struggle to get to school every day. Others are working or retired, and may be caregivers for elderly parents or children. Some work one to three jobs. Some are on fixed incomes. Some have disabilities, and struggle to attain the necessary resources to have full access.

Not only does this kind of diversity prove that TRIO is an incredibly necessary program for a wide number of students, but it also strengthens JCC. The community college prides itself on truly serving its community and creating a path for students from all walks of life allows for greater understanding and thought leadership across the board.

For all these students, TRIO at JCC provides leadership opportunities; tutoring; help developing study skills; academic, financial, and personal counseling; support for getting financial aid and enrolling in four-year schools; and guidance on career options, mentoring, and volunteerism.

Building on Strengths for Success

Dr. Felita Carr, Director of the TRIO program at JCC, says two of the most popular elements of the program are academic advising to achieve graduation, and helping students transfer to a four-year college which can be complicated and overwhelming.

But for Dr. Carr, a third key element of TRIO is building trust with students and helping them believe in themselves.

“I want the students, when they come to TRIO, to feel that they are accepted,” Dr. Carr said. “That sense of family and welcoming is a really big part of what we do.”

As a strengths-based program, TRIO helps students identify their strengths and learn what motivates them. TRIO mentors, partnering with all available campus resources, help channel students into programs and activities that build on their strengths. Students might take on leadership roles as student ambassadors or mentors, build partnerships and networks within the community, or take advantage of further scholarship opportunities. The goal is to make students feel motivated and empowered.

The attitude of empowerment strengthens the fabric of what makes JCC special. Additionally, it focuses not on specific groupings, but instead on the individual, and how that person can make an impact on the world. “From the beginning, we go from a positive angle. The first thing I do is tell them what is exciting about them, what makes them their unique self and most talented,” said Dr. Carr.

Dr. Carr added, “Once they leave JCC and go into the workforce or a transfer environment at a university, they understand how to advocate for themselves, know how to network with people, and know how to ask the right questions.”

The program at JCC has been highly successful. According to the latest data, 75% of TRIO students were retained in the program year-on-year; 69% had a GPA of 2.0 or higher; 37% graduated with an associate degree, and 24% transferred to a four-year college. These rates met or exceeded both the federally mandated goals and JCC’s overall student success rates.

“I think the program across the country is phenomenal, but the way that we spin it here at JCC is the best,” Dr. Carr said.

Thompson agrees. With TRIO's support, she graduated from JCC with an Associate in Arts degree and became a substitute teacher in the Johnston County Public Schools. She is now studying for a Bachelor’s Degree in English at Fayetteville State University, where she is also a TRIO student. She hopes one day to become an English educator at JCC.

“TRIO has built my confidence within myself, my life as a student, and now, within my career field,” Thompson said. “My experience in the program allowed me to feel like I had a place at JCC where I was accepted and encouraged to be my best self.”

Click here to learn more about the TRIO program at JCC.

This article was written for our sponsor, Johnston Community College.