TRIO students give back to community
March 11, 2025Yuma, Ariz. (March 11, 2025) – On February 22, students and graduates of the Arizona Western College TRIO Programs gathered to give back to the community in honor of National TRIO Day. The event, hosted by Fourth Ave Junior High School, featured middle school, high school, and college students from the Yuma community.
63 students from AWC’s three TRIO programs participated in several service projects, volunteering at the Yuma Community Food Bank, Crossroads Mission, Saddles of Joy, Haven Health Yuma, Amberly’s Place Thrift Shoppe, Crossroads Mission Thrift Store, and Jessie’s Closet Foster Child Resource Center.
Reflecting on the event, Director of TRIO Programs Michelle Thomas shared, “TRIO works because of our community,” specifically thanking Fourth Ave Junior High School Principal Jose Cazares for hosting the event.
TRIO Programs at AWC (KEYS, Talent Search, and Upward Bound) serve local first generation and low-income students, providing financial, academic, and personal supports for students to attend and graduate college. Students impacted by the AWC TRIO Programs have shown incredible dedication, resilience, and a strong commitment to their futures.
Learn more about the AWC TRIO Programs here: KEYS, Talent Search, and Upward Bound.
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About TRIO:
TRIO is a set of federally-funded college based educational opportunity outreach programs that motivate and support students from low-income backgrounds including military veterans and students with disabilities. Currently serving more than 880,000 students from middle school through post-graduate study, TRIO provides academic tutoring, personal counseling, mentoring, financial guidance, and other supports necessary to promote college access, retention, and graduation. TRIO students come from families that earn less than $38,000 a year and/or in which neither parent have earned a college degree. Unlike student financial aid programs, which help students overcome financial hurdles to higher education, the TRIO programs recognize the importance of overcoming all barriers to success. TRIO services include assistance in choosing a college; tutoring; personal and financial counseling; career counseling; assistance in applying to college; workplace and college visits; special instruction in reading, writing, study skills, and mathematics; assistance in applying for financial aid; and academic support in high school or assistance to re-enter high school.
Contact:
Chaney Linares
KEYS Program Specialist
Arizona Western College
chaney.linares@azwestern.edu
(928) 344-7761
Contact:
Michelle Thomas
Director of TRIO Programs
Arizona Western College
michelle.thomas@azwestern.edu
(928) 344-7763