TRIO students pose with the city, with the college they toured behind them. Photo by Faisal Tariq.

The student members in TRIO went on a two day college visit on August eighth and ninth. Stopping at multiple tourist places along the way, also stopping to look at the amazing University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) campus and gain some experience of the city life.

TRIO is a student organization, dedicated to the support and welfare of the students within it, offering special scholarships, school visits, fun activities with other members and a community of students who share the same interpersonal experiences. The most recent college trip was one of many that quite a few students attended, totalling 13 students on this trip to UIC. The students participated in normal college visit activities like wandering campus but they also enjoyed museum tours, boat rides and other tourist location visits.

Director of TRIO, Lori Ohnesorge spoke about the visit, recalling some of the festivities the students participated in. “I have been working with TRIO since 2006, the goal is to help students overcome obstacles and reach a level of success and further education.” Ohnesorge stated, “I was not the person who put this whole trip together, that would be Fasial Tariq. He planned this whole thing, so the students saw this as a vacation more than a college trip.”

TRIO has been around for a while, the group aims to help students fulfill their own missions in life with further education and work forces, with help from staff and students alike. Students are given an option to learn more and expand horizons through this group, and the best part for most students is the trip was entirely free to the members who attended. 

Universities are often the next step for community college students, which makes college tours so important to many students. For some, it is the only step. TRIO was made for students by students and instructors, to educate and focus on how to get those steps aligned and set into play. TRIO has not been able to do as much in the past few years because of the pandemic, like most organizations, the plans with the student members had ceased. Events such as Welcome Day and open houses have been beneficial for getting students back into the organization allowing them to do more visits and tours of possible transfer universities.

TRIO is created for the students to benefit the students, they help and support many different kinds of students from many different kinds of backgrounds. The TRIO office (LSC 414) is located next to the Student Life office. There are many more events and visits planned for current student members and are also welcoming in new student members everyday.