TRIO to host a variety of fall events at Ouachita
September 13, 2012 - Ryleigh Salmon
Ouachita Baptist University’s TRIO programs seek to “Help Students Obtain Their Goals”
this fall with a variety of events.
“Mostly what we do is help kids find their path,” said Terrence Carter, director of
Ouachita’s Upward Bound program. “It’s a way we help them achieve their goals.”
But what exactly is TRIO? It is a series of federally funded programs that provide
low-income or first-generation college students with the opportunity to pursue education
after high school. Initially, TRIO was comprised of three programs, hence the name,
but now there are many programs that fall under the TRIO umbrella. Ouachita is home
to two of those programs: Upward Bound and Talent Search.
“Showing financial need and neither parent having a college degree are the criteria
for the selection of these students,” said Brenda Bradley-Philson, director of Ouachita’s
TRIO programs. “We work with those students who have potential but not opportunity,
financially, to have access to avenues that allow them access to post-secondary education.”
Ouachita’s Upward Bound program serves students in grades nine through 12 and Talent
Search serves students in grades six through 12 from public schools in the southwest
region of Arkansas. These two programs provide outreach education by hosting academic
workshops on campus at least once a month. ACT Workshops, financial aid workshops
and college entrance workshops are some of the events held on campus. The Satellite
Instructor Workshop, set for Sept. 22, “is for the teachers who meet with our students
on a weekly basis,” said Jennifer Sigman, academic advisor for Upward Bound. “During
that workshop we give them the material and the information to start the school year
with our students.”
Once a month, starting in October, Upward Bound will host Saturday Sessions. “The
overall purpose of the Saturday Sessions is to present a topic to our students that
will help prepare them for college or navigate high school,” Sigman explained. “In
November, a representative from the Arkansas Department of Higher Education will inform
our students and parents about scholarships provided through the state of Arkansas.”
Another event to be held by Upward Bound is the Intake Meeting on Nov. 12. The meeting
is “for the new students to finalize all paperwork to bring them officially into the
Upward Bound program,” said Sigman. “Parents along with students will be in attendance
to a banquet that celebrates their full participant status.”
September 13 – Talent Search: ETS Mentor Workshop
September 18 – Upward Bound: New Participant Meeting
September 21 – Talent Search: ACT Registration Deadline for October Test
September 22 – Upward Bound/Talent Search: Satellite Instructor Workshop
October 1 – Talent Search: Tutoring Begins
October 13 – Upward Bound: Saturday Session
October 15 – Talent Search: ETS Applications Due
October 27 – Talent Search: ACT Test
November 2 – Talent Search: ACT Registration Deadline for December
November 3 – Upward Bound: Saturday Session
November 12 – Upward Bound: Intake Meeting
November TBA – Talent Search: College Visit for Seniors
December 1 – Upward Bound: Saturday Session
December 7 – Talent Search: Talent Search Day
December 8 – Talent Search: ACT Test
For more information, contact OBU’s TRIO Programs at (870) 245-5158.
By Ryleigh Salmon
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