PHOENIX — College can be daunting and overwhelming for many students. ASU senior Vanessa Vazquez remembers vividly when she first stepped onto campus not knowing what the future held. However, thanks to programs like TRIO, there's clarity.
"Growing up in a low-income household it was hard to imagine myself to be at the top," Vazquez said. "How was I going to do this? What about all the medical debt and paying for college? Knowing my background it's hard, hard to find someone to look up to. I feel like ASU and TRIO have changed that, I see more people like me, I found my support here."
TRIO is a set of federally funded college opportunity programs that help motivate, inspire and support students on track to getting a college degree. Students are typically low-income, are first-generation college students and some are students with disabilities.
"Maybe they're not getting that academic support or maybe that career exploration aspect where they don't know what they want to go to school for, they don't know what the whole college process looks like," Patty Santillas-Soto said. "So being able to have someone there to help them navigate all those situations and navigate other things while they're in college and after is important."
TRIO just held its first TRIO Summit. It was a three-day event that featured workshops, breakout sessions and on-site visits to places like Banner Estrella Medical Center. 25 students participated with the hospital visit and for many it was life changing.
"As a healthcare leader our goal is to build teams for today and the future," said Banner Estrella Medical Center CEO Courtney Ophaug. "For this particular group of adults not only do we get to open the doors of possibilities we also get the opportunity of creating awareness and creating a sense of belonging."
Vazquez said the Summit was one to remember and taught her many things she'll hold close as she gets ready to graduate.
"It was a different experience," she said. "It was a day we learned a lot. I think [TRIO] is very important to me. I feel like they've helped me feel more natural, more myself, and I definitely feel like I've grown as a person."
TRIO programs are held at ASU's four main campuses and requires students to apply. Vazquez encourages anyone interested to do so, and also hopes more events like the Summit that held will happen again in the future.
"I think for a lot of students they don't realize that maybe some highly regarded employees like Banner Health, they see it as a dream or something that is a thought but to be able to come here and see that facility and talk with employers and employees they see it's achievable and something they can do."
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