The U.S. Department of Education recently awarded Santa Fe College (SF) three federal grants totaling $4,466,215 to support the TRIO Student Support Services (SSS) program in its mission to increase retention and graduation rates among low-income, first-generation students and students with disabilities.
TRIO SSS helps students to overcome barriers to success through individualized services, including financial aid, scholarship guidance, academic tutoring, career exploration, personal and academic counseling, and mentoring. The program has served over 9,000 SF students since 1984, helping them earn degrees, stay in school, and build meaningful careers.
Two of the awarded programs provide specialized support to veteran and STEM students. These comprehensive supports make it significantly more likely that students will complete their degree or successfully transfer, with the lowest possible debt.
“The TRIO SSS grants have had a profound impact on our students for more than 40 years,” SF President Paul Broadie said in a press release. “Receiving this grant enables us to continue our transformative work, ensuring that students get the support they need to succeed in the classroom and thrive in their careers.”
First-generation SF student Lilith Little explained that the federal grants were responsible for making her education a reality.
“It helped me pay for classes and books that I would have otherwise never been able to afford,” Little said in a press release. “TRIO has also helped me make meaningful connections with an amazing academic advisor who will ensure I graduate on time, and with tutors who are always there to help.”
Nationally, the SSS program has a strong track record. According to a 2019 evaluation by the U.S. Department of Education, students in SSS at two-year institutions were 48% more likely to earn an associate’s degree or transfer to a four-year school, and students at four-year institutions were 18% more likely to earn a bachelor’s degree compared to student peers not in the program.
“TRIO programs generally, and TRIO SSS in particular, transform students from being the least resourced into college graduates,” said Kimberly Jones, president of the Council for Opportunity in Education in Washington, D.C., in a press release. “This vital program makes all the difference for nearly a million students each year across the country.”
SSS is one of eight federal TRIO programs funded under the Higher Education Act of 1965 to remove social, academic, and cultural barriers to higher education. Since its inception in 1968, SSS has helped low-income, first-generation students graduate from college and contribute to their communities and the economy.
For more information about TRIO Student Support Services at Santa Fe College, visit https://www.sfcollege.edu/trio/ or contact TRIO Director Sandra Torres-Pintos at sandra.torres-pintos@sfcollege.edu.