UC Clermont Hosts TRIO Meeting with Rep. Brad Wenstrup

Representatives of the TRIO programs at UC Clermont College recently welcomed Ohio Rep. Brad Wenstrup to campus to share information about TRIO services and their community impact.

Dean Gregory Sojka welcomed Wenstrup to the campus and invited TRIO program personnel and TRIO alumni to share their experiences and insights concerning the federally funded programs.

TRIO programs empower first generation to college and low-income students to enter and succeed in a variety of educational settings. Three former TRIO participants shared their stories. James Stewart participated in the Educational Opportunity Center and is now a successful student at UC Clermont. Meagan Schalk, who was an Educational Talent Search student in high school, has completed associate degrees at the college and now works in the Academic Affairs Department at UC Clermont while completing her bachelor’s degree at the college. Diana Boling, who was an Upward Bound student in high school, graduated from the University of Cincinnati and later earned a master’s degree in nursing at Xavier University. She is now a nurse at Mercy Clermont. All three spoke of how TRIO services helped them to get where they are today.

Speaking on behalf of TRIO and UC Clermont were Dan Schneider, director of Educational Talent Search and Upward Bound – the two TRIO programs that help local middle and high school students to continue their education beyond high school and realize their career dreams; and Tony Hayes, director of the Southwest Ohio Educational Opportunity Center -- a TRIO program that helps many adults to successfully transition into post-secondary education. In addition, Jennifer Radt, interim assistant dean of Enrollment and Student Services; Claudia Cates of the Educational Opportunity Center; Bonnie Laube of Upward Bound; and Shari Taylor and Amy Thomas of Educational Talent Search shared their experiences of providing students with the support they need to be successful.

For more information about the TRIO programs, visit:

Educational Talent Search

http://www.ucclermont.edu/about/ets.html

,

Upward Bound

http://www.ucclermont.edu/about/ub.html

and

Southwest Ohio

Educational Opportunity Center

http://www.ucclermont.edu/about/swoeoc.html