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Elizabeth Nuñez

English Composition

Discourse Community: Rough Draft

16 June 2019
TRiO SSS: A New Community

Can you describe TRiO in one word? I asked, my friend and interviewee, Nataly Abreu.

“Support,” she replied with enthusiasm. The sparkle in her eyes showed me how much love and

affection she has towards her new community that she calls "family" (Abreu). TRiO Student

Support Services (SSS), a program available for first-generation students, has multiple goals, but

most importantly, it is a community that provides its students the support needed while going

through a stressful period during their time in college. Having TRiO by your side, is as Nataly

puts it, an "extra support system” (Abreu). Starting off from one program and dividing into

various ones, TRiO has grown a lot since it first started.

When I asked Nataly about the history of TRiO, she explained in detail how everything

started. TRiO began with “Upward Bound” after the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964. A year

later, in 1965, “Talent Search” was created. Talent search was followed by Student Support

Services three years later in 1968, creating what we know as TRiO. TRiO has since added more

programs but the name remains the same. Now, TRiO has a total of eight programs whose

purpose is to help students. Without the many years of hard work, TRiO would not be what it is

today and many students would not have this opportunity.

The goal of TRiO is to help first generation students financially, academically and

emotionally. Students who are a part of TRiO and need financial help to pay for college can

receive help from TRiO. What I found most interesting, is that TRiO is not only there to help
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financially. At first glance, I thought it was a government funded group that helps first

generation students only financially. Talking to Nataly made me realize it is so much more than

that. TRiO is made up of people who want to help, people who genuinely care about the well

being of their participants. TRiO provides a safe space to share anything you would like. It also

offers many different things that helps relieve stressful students, sometimes in fun ways like

trips. In my interview, I asked Nataly to describe her favorite moment in TRiO. Nataly said,

“One of my best moments in TRiO was going to National Museum of African American History

and Culture (NMAAHC) Museum in Washington, DC since I needed it after a long and stressful

year...it took me away and helped me forget about all the stress time I went through.” Having

TRiO on her side has not only helped her financially, but emotionally by providing her with

ways to release stress including this trip. It has helped her a lot, even if it is something as small

as having someone to talk to, or someone to call “family”, who will be there when you need

them. “Family” was a recurrent word during my interview with Nataly. She mentioned several

times how she felt that TRiO is a second family. Nataly said, “I never expected to have what

feels like a family on campus…TRiO is more than a group, it is family”. She mentioned that she

feels like she has known some of the people in it for years, even though this is her first year in

TRiO. She has a connection with TRiO that goes beyond what I imagined. “I was lucky to find

this group of people that treat me like I am family”, added Nataly.

When I asked her how she found TRiO, Nataly said they

actually sent her an email encouraging her to apply. “I immediately

looked up TRiO and started doing my research. After reading about

it, I thought it would be a good fit, but after talking to Dr. Corley, I
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was sure of it. After she was accepted into TRiO, they used emails and text messages to keep up

with all the events provided by the TRiO staff and the university. For example, Nataly mentioned

how she received an email at least once a week providing her information about what programs

or events are available at Rutgers University. Thanks to TRiO, Nataly has been able to attend to

multiple events that, as she said, “are helpful for when I am feeling too stressed with school

work.”

TRiO uses the acronym F.A.C.T.S. as a guide for the members that are eligible. These

students must complete a series of tasks to remain eligible for TRiO. As the picture on the right

shows, TRiO stands for; Financial Literacy, Academic Advising, Career/Graduate Advising,

Tutoring/Office Hours, and Student support services. For financial literacy and career/graduate

advising, students must attend workshops. For academic advising and office hours, students must

provide forms signed by their professors and advisors. Lastly, for SSS contacts, students can

meet with Amber Davis or Dyron Corley. In these meetings, students can talk about their lives,

their goals, how their semester is going, and just about anything.

I have learned that TRiO is more than what we might think. TRiO turned out to be a

group that helps their students in different aspects of their lives. I originally did not understand

what made Nataly feel like this was her second family, but looking into it, I can see why she

believes that she can count on TRiO always. Looking into this community has made think about

other groups that may be very different than what we originally think. Talking to someone that

belongs to a group that you are not necessarily familiar with can help you expand your

knowledge and see how they see it.