NCTC TRIO Programs celebrate the Class of 2023
On May 4th, the TRIO Student Support Services (SSS) and Talent Search (TS) programs at North Central Texas College (NCTC) celebrated the graduating Class of 2023 in an awards banquet hosted at Lewisville Independent School District (LISD)’s Technology, Exploration & Career Center West (TECC-W). Students from both programs were honored for their academic achievements and recognized for their acceptances to colleges, technical schools, and universities across the United States and overseas. Former TRIO SSS participants and NCTC Alumni Vyvy Tran, Jose Vela, and Dolly Hernandez were honored as TRIO Achievers for their academic and professional accomplishments, and shared their stories of how TRIO helped guide them along in their educational journeys. “TRIO made the difference for me, and I would not be where I am today without their support,” said Hernandez as she accepted her award.
In partnership with TECC-W’s Culinary Arts & Hospitality Programs, the NCTC TRIO Programs partnered for a first-time event to bring together graduating students from both the SSS & TS programs to recognize their educational accomplishments. Students came together for an etiquette presentation, followed by a banquet catered and served by TECC-W students, an awards program recognizing accomplished alumni and graduates of both programs, and a recognition of each graduate’s chosen college, technical school, or university. The TRIO SSS program is graduating 25 students this year, with many continuing their education at universities the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. The TRIO TS program is graduating 89 seniors at Lewisville High School with total scholarship awards for the Class of 2023 exceeding $700,000. Between both programs, students will be enrolling at schools in Texas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Nebraska, and Rome, Italy.
The Federal TRIO Programs
The federal TRIO programs include eight federally-funded educational opportunity programs that provide direct resources and support to students from historically underrepresented backgrounds in their pursuit of post-secondary education. Nationwide, over 3,300 TRIO programs serve close to 900,000 students and boast an alumni community of over 6 million. In the State of Texas, 299 TRIO programs serve over 76,000 students annually by providing access to academic tutoring, personal counseling, mentoring, financial guidance, and other direct support services to assist students in their target areas with educational exploration and access. TRIO programs were created by the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 and the Higher Education Act of 1965, both signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson.
TRIO at NCTC
Since 1999, the TRIO SSS program at NCTC has been providing students with the resources and support needed to pursue post-secondary education, persist through to graduation, and transfer to continue their baccalaureate education at universities across the country. The TRIO SSS program is funded to serve 165 students annually at NCTC’s Gainesville, Corinth, and Flower Mound campuses, and provides access to academic advising, personal mentoring, financial aid counseling, tutoring, college transfer tours, and much more.
In October 2021, NCTC received notice of the successful funding of a TRIO Talent Search program to serve students in LISD. In partnership with LISD, NCTC TRIO TS serves 500 students annually at DeLay, Durham, Hedrick, and Huffines Middle Schools, and at Lewisville High School’s three campuses. TRIO TS provides students with access to academic advising, financial aid assistance & counseling, standardized test preparation, college tours, tutoring, and assistance with the college admissions process.
For more information on the TRIO SSS & TS programs hosted by NCTC, please contact NCTC TRIO Programs at (940) 498-9224.