CONTRIBUTED PHOTO — Marshalltown High School juniors Sitashma Rai, Lay Gay Paw, Tamara Mejia, Brea Parks and Stephanie Reyes Paz attended the National TRIO Day of Service.

Students and graduates from Iowa State University TRIO Talent Search and Upward Bound participated in the 2024 National TRIO Day of Service on Feb. 29 to express appreciation to the community for its support of the TRIO programs. For millions of students from low-income families who strive to be the first in their families to attend and graduate from college, seven federally funded programs called TRIO are making a world of difference. Marshalltown High School Juniors: Sitashma Rai, Lay Gay Paw, Tamara Mejia, Brea Parks and Stephanie Reyes Paz were in attendance.

TRIO Talent Search and Upward Bound aim to provide opportunities for the students to learn more about the options after high school. ISU TRIO Talent Search services 92 MHS students and Upward Bound serves 16 MHS students.

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. For more than 50 years, they have been providing valuable supportive services to help first-generation students and students from low-income families, veterans and students with disabilities enter and graduate from college.

TRIO services include:

• Assistance in choosing a college.

• Tutoring

• Personal and financial counseling

• Career counseling

• Assistance in applying to college.

• Workplace and college visits.

By providing direct services and individually focused and intensive programming geared towards helping students navigate the college admissions and financial aid process, TRIO programs assist students in overcoming the obstacles they face as the first in their families to attend and graduate from college. Today, an estimated 6 million students have graduated from college with the support and assistance of TRIO programs across the country.