Tusculum College welcomed Congressman Phil Roe to campus on Monday, July 6. Roe visited the campus to learn more about the college preparation programs offered by Tusculum College through the TRIO programs.
TRIO includes three federally funded programs, Talent Search, Upward Bound and Student Support Services. These programs serve regional students who are from low-income backgrounds and if they attend college, will be first-generation college students.
While on campus, Congressman Roe visited Talent Search students from across the region, encouraging them to stick with their education and continue on to higher education.
Roe represents Tennessee’s First District and currently serves on the federal Education and Labor Committee. He expressed a great deal of interest in programs that encourage young people to continue their education after high school. He shared his own educational experiences as well.
“Take advantage of this program and all that it has to offer,” he told the group of mostly high school juniors and seniors. “Going to college opens so many opportunities, almost unlimited.”
Of the three programs, Talent Search begins the earliest, with students entering the program in the sixth grade.
“We begin monitoring the courses that they take, work with students on attainable goal setting, and taking them on college visits,” said Jeanne Stokes, director of TRIO programs.
Upward Bound, which serves high school students and is currently in summer session on the Greeneville Tusculum College campus, brings the students to the college to learn and experience life on a college campus. Students take courses and live on campus. They learn to deal with roommates and experience eating in the cafeteria.
“Our programs are very much set up like a college program,” said Stokes. “We offer courses for them to choose from, including “Creative Writing,” “Forensic Science,” “Navigating Math” and “Photography.”
The third of the TRIO programs is Student Support Services and provides a wide array of academic support services to at-risk students once they are enrolled as a Tusculum College student. Services include tutoring and counseling, among other services.
Congressman Phil Roe visited students in the Talent Search program at Tusculum College learning more about the college preparation and success programs offered through Tusculum’s TRIO programs.