TRIO Student Support Services at Lake Land is a program dedicated to paving the way for students to have an excellent college experience, both academically and personally. They do so by providing students with the extra services and help they might need during this busy and sometimes confusing time in life. TRIO was originally developed in 1964 by the United States Department of Education by the Higher Education Act. It has been a contributing service at Lake Land for about eighteen years.
It was created to support students who may need financial, academic, and career help during their college years. TRIO is a federally funded program that was designed with first-generation college, low-income, and assistance-seeking students in mind. To find out if you are eligible to join, please check out the TRIO Eligibility Survey on your Laker Hub homepage today!
A TRIO advisor, Gavin Shawver, who has been involved with Lake Land’s TRIO program for just over a year, was happy to speak on why he thinks eligible students should get involved with the program. “The services that we offer and mainly focus on are academic support, social and personal support, career guidance, financial advising and we want to make sure you are a well-rounded student while you are here at Lake Land,” states Shawver. “Career guidance, I think, is one of the most important things that we can offer because I believe it helps support students and gives them a clear path towards their future. It helps give them confidence in knowing that what they are doing is the right thing. We really try to make sure that they have a clear path moving forward.”
By joining TRIO, students open themselves up to new opportunities, events, and people who are there to help. TRIO allows students the chance to go on college campus visits, apply for and win scholarships, attend educational workshops and receive access to helpful referrals, academic and career assistance and one-on-one counseling.
Students will have frequent access to a personal advisor they meet with a couple times during a semester. One’s advisor will be able to help establish short and long-term goals, provide aid and guidance for certain circumstances and support them throughout their time at Lake Land. When asked what his favorite part of working as an advisor for the TRIO program was, Shawver revealed, “My favorite part of working for TRIO is our relationships with the students. My goal working in TRIO is to see my students walk across the stage and get their degree.”
Are you thinking about joining TRIO? Whether you are a first-year or second-year student, you are more than welcome to join. Lake Land College’s TRIO program is here to help and serve you during your time at Lake Land.
