Page 27 - Harnett Life Fall 2020

CCCC receives $2.6 million TRIO grants

Central Carolina Community College has received two TRIO Access and Strategic Initiatives. “Over the last five years, we
Student Support Services (SSS) grants totaling approximately have had the honor of being the part of hundreds of students’
$2.6 million over the next five years from the U.S. Department transformational journeys in higher education. TRIO SSS
of Education Office of Postsecondary Education. makes sure that no student is alone in facing any challenge
--academic, personal, or financial. Our data shows that having
Each year, TRIO SSS will serve a target population of 260 first- this support system leads to students having higher levels of
generation and low-income students and students with disabili- success in higher education and beyond. TRIO works!”
ties who are currently enrolled at Central Carolina. The goal of
TRIO SSS is to increase the college retention and graduation Services provided by the program include:
rates of its participants. • Tutoring and supplemental instruction.
• Academic coaching, including assistance with course selec-
One of the grants will serve students in all academic programs, tion and ongoing support for academic success.
and the other grant will serve students in Central Carolina’s • Financial aid assistance and financial literacy education.
Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, and Health Sciences • Assistance with transfer to four-year colleges.
programs. • Individualized personal, career, and academic counseling.
• Cultural and educational enrichment activities.
Initially funded in 2015, students in CCCC’s TRIO SSS pro- • Mentoring.
gram have appreciated the help they have received from the • Special assistance for students with disabilities.
program. • Awarding of up to $10,000 of Student Support Services grant
aid annually to selected participants.
“I enjoyed most the support that the TRIO SSS team gave me
in pursuing my associate degree; academic, career, and person- Smith and Maddox both recommend the program to students.
al support meetings were all available to me,” said Nia Smith,
who participated in the program 2018-2020 and is currently “If someone was considering applying, I would tell them to
a student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. just do it! TRIO provides a fundamental support system for
“TRIO was always readily available for me whenever I needed students. Being in a program like TRIO can and will have a
them.” positive influence on your college experience,” said Smith. “I
would just like to personally thank TRIO for assisting me in
Christole Maddox, who participated in the program from 2017- successfully completing my Associate Degree program and
2020, said that she would have probably given up on college if giving me the support a first-year college student could need!”
not for the staff of TRIO SSS. She noted that “the care and sup- “It was the best decision I made apart from starting college
port from TRIO SSS staff is the most enjoyable part of TRIO.” at CCCC and I can honestly say I did not regret being a par-
She is currently working on her second degree at CCCC. ticipant in the program and if I had to redo it all over again, I
would most definitely would,” said Maddox. “I want to say
TRIO SSS is one of eight federal TRIO programs started in ‘Thank You’ to the TRIO SSS staff for being there for me and
the mid-1960s out of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s War on doing all you did to help me and other students, as well.”
Poverty. TRIO SSS was the third TRIO program to be created
and started nationally in 1968. Interested Central Carolina Community College students are
encouraged to apply to participate in the program by sending
“Central Carolina Community College is ecstatic to receive an email to [email protected] or by accessing the application on-
continuing funding for TRIO Student Support Services,” said line at www.cccc.edu/sss.
Meghan Reece Brown, CCCC Executive Director for College
Harnett Life ~ Fall 2020 Page 27