MISSOULA — The process of getting into college for a graduating 18-year-old can be stressful, but it’s even more so for first-generation or low-income students.
TRIO Upward Bound is a national organization that works through local universities and colleges to encourage high school students who come from low-income families or are first-generation students to pursue secondary education.
The TRIO program through the University of Montana has been around for over 50 years.
They hold after-school mentoring sessions throughout the week at Hellgate, Sentinel and Big Sky high schools in Missoula. They are also at Browning and Heart Butte High School on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation.
The afterschool program includes mentoring on career and personal development, plus job shadowing opportunities.
The afterschool students are asked to complete OnTrack module learnings, which are about 5-7 minutes each. The kids can earn points for recruiting their peers, attending after school sessions and completing the module courses. The points allow them to enter raffles for prizes and attend college tours.
The program is free for families, as it is funded fully through United States Department of Education funds. Two-thirds of the students must both be first-generation college students and come from a low-income family. The last third can be either-or.
The goal of TRIO is to level the playing field and give low-income and first-generation students the support and encouragement they might not find at home.
“We know that some kids — first generation, low-income students — may not have thought that they can go on to college,” UM TRIO Upward Bound executive director Dannette Fadness says. “So this is a way to motivate them, to help them understand that they can go on to college, and that we're there to help them.”
The cost of college can be daunting, especially without parents who have experience applying for financial aid or scholarships. TRIO Upward Bound staff help students navigate the FAFSA process and access scholarships that align with their background and interests.
“Not understanding about financial aid, those kinds of things can be huge barriers for these kids,” Fadness says. “We're there to help them and help them tap into the scholarships that are going to help them go on to college without taking on a lot of debt.”
Fadness knows firsthand how crucial it is that families know about and understand financial aid. Her own mother had to choose to send only one of her eldest children to college because she believed her only option was to pay out-of-pocket, and she couldn’t afford to send both siblings.
More than the financial threat of college, first-generation kids may have never pictured themselves on a university campus, according to Fadness.
Exposing the students to college tours around the Northwest — including Idaho State and Utah State — and helping them bond with fellow high school students can give them a feeling of belonging.
Plus, TRIO services are available at many undergrad programs as well, so students can continue to receive that support.
“Just being able to adjust there and find belonging when you go on to college, I think that's where TRIO really can help because we help them find belonging in school,” Fadness says. “And then when they get into college, many of our colleges have TRIO Student Support Services as well. So we hand them over to those TRIO support services, and they continue to have that family and those people who can really help them find belonging.”
The UM TRIO program holds a six-week summer academy where high school students live and learn on the UM campus. They attend educational courses and are able to earn three college credits, plus one high school credit.
They live just like a college student — sleeping in dorms, eating at the dining hall and utilizing the University Rec Center.
Throughout the summer program, the kids also participate in group activities like white water rafting, floating the Clark Fork and hiking. Xtravaganza stays with the kids throughout the summer program and says it’s a great way for them to bond and make a community of friends.
“It's the idea that these kids find a sense of camaraderie there, you know, it's a beautiful thing to watch,” he says.
Another opportunity for seniors is the Bridge Scholar Program, where they can attend six credits at UM the summer after they graduate. Their housing, meal plan and credits are free through the TRIO program.
Xtravaganza came to the UM TRIO program as a summer-only AmeriCorps member but was convinced to stay full-time after seeing the effect he was able to have on the kids.
“They're coming into this program… from a lot of ‘no’s, and ‘you can't,’ and ‘you're not going to be able to’ or ‘that may not be possible.’ And for them to come into this program and see there's a world of yeses and opportunities and it's it's a it's a privilege to be in this position to be honest.”
Being a first-generation student himself, Xtravaganza is able to relate to the struggles his students face and use his own story as motivation.
“I know firsthand what it's like to be told no or that it's not an option or probably not, that's a horrible feeling, and it's a feeling that sticks with you for a very long time,” he says. “And I feel like if I can do anything to make even just one student not feel that way even if it's just one student then I've done my job.”
While the TRIO program is run through UM, it is not a recruitment tool for the university. The goal of the program is to encourage any form of secondary education.
“Our biggest goal is to show them that there's opportunity in education and anywhere you look,” Xtravaganza says. “It does not have to be a four-year degree, you know, two-year degrees as well are just as good in most jobs nowadays. And trade schools are just as much a beneficial thing for anybody.”
Fadness says TRIO strives for educational equality and justice, and post-secondary education for low-income students can level the playing field with their peers.
“It's getting families out of poverty, right? Being able to get a Bachelor's degree or an associate's degree or a trade school certificate or whatever really can increase your wages and help you get out of poverty, and it's so important in our world,” she says.
TRIO was originally started during President Lyndon Johnson’s term as part of his “war on poverty,” and has been at UM since its inception.
While UM TRIO focuses on helping students afford college, Xtravaganza says college is not the only thing these kids struggle to afford. He remembers seeing students on winter college tours without jackets and proper footwear.
Seeing the need, Xtravaganza reached out to the community to ask for help. It didn’t take long for the entire campus to come together, donating enough winter clothing so that TRIO students could choose the size and style they liked.
“These people around here were so ready and willing to give to these students because they see these students are working hard in our program, that they're coming to the afterschool programming, they're showing up, they're putting in the effort,” he says. “They want to succeed, they just need a little bit of help. And here we are, you know, giving them a little extra boost, whether it is just a jacket or a pair of shoes, or food.”
The UM TRIO Upward Bound Program is currently asking for more students to join. Families who are interested from participating high schools can reach out to their school administration about applying.
Currently, TRIO is at Browning High School after school Monday through Wednesday, Heart Butte High School through Zoom appointments, Big Sky High School is Tuesday and Thursday, Hellgate High School on Wednesday and Friday, and Sentinel High School is Monday and Friday. They are also looking to start a program at Willard Alternative High School in Missoula.
The public can help the program by spreading awareness and donating afterschool snacks for students.
“I mean, the sky's the limit when you have that support, the mentoring, the support, somebody who believes in you and is telling you, you can do it,” Fadness says.
