National TRIO Achiever Award - Council for Opportunity in Education

celebrating TRIO excellence

The 2026 National TRIO Achiever Award nominations are now closed.

Thank you to everyone who submitted nominations for the 2026 National TRIO Achiever Award. We are grateful to the TRIO community for helping us recognize exceptional alumni whose achievements reflect the life-changing impact of TRIO programs. Our selection committee is now reviewing this year’s nominations, and the 2026 National TRIO Achiever Award recipients will be announced later this year.

National TRIO Achiever Awards

Celebrating the Success of TRIO Students and the TRIO Programs

Celebrating the success of TRIO students and the TRIO programs, the Council for Opportunity in Education and members of the college access and success community are proud to honor the National TRIO Achievers. These men and women have distinguished themselves in their chosen professions and are making remarkable contributions to their community. The public recognition of TRIO alumni is an exceptional opportunity to acknowledge that TRIO makes a difference in the lives of thousands of students whose future success depends on their access to higher education. We congratulate this year’s TRIO Achievers and past award winners who continue to inspire both college access and success professionals and current students.

PAST RECIPIENTS

Terrance L. Hamm

The Council for Opportunity in Education Announces 2025 National TRIO Achiever Award Recipients

July 10, 2025

These five TRIO alumni whose journeys from first-generation and low-income beginnings to leaders in aviation, health justice, mechanical engineering, the arts, and professional sports remind us that access to higher education transforms lives and communities. Read how Beverly Black, Frankie Cordero, Natalia Giraldo-Santiago, Richard LaDouceur, and Leticia Silva are transforming their communities and inspiring the next generation.

Trio programs

Who is Served

Federal TRIO Programs (Talent Search, Upward Bound, Upward Bound Math/Science, Veterans’ Upward Bound, Student Support Services, Educational Opportunity Centers, and the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program) help students to overcome economic, social, academic, and cultural barriers to higher education.

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faces of trio

Success Stories

Christina Westbrook

Student Support Services, Illinois State University

Colette Yellow Robe

Student Support Services, Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program, University of Nebraska – Lincoln

Edwin C. Serrano

Upward Bound Math-Science, University of Texas at Arlington

Gabrielle A. Davis

Upward Bound, Student Support Services, Talent Search, Southern Arkansas University

Jarell Green

Student Support Services, University of Nevada, Reno

Kel Bonton

Talent Search, COPE Inc.

Seth Fairchild

Upward Bound Math-Science, Southeastern Oklahoma State University

Tameka Ellington

Upward Bound, Cuyahoga Community College

Maura Casey

2023 National TRIO Achiever Awards: Honoring the Journeys and Impact of Distinguished Alumni

September 13, 2023

Five outstanding TRIO alumni were honored with the 2023 National TRIO Achiever Awards at COE’s annual conference. Cheryl L. Johnson, James T. Brett, Fernando Cárdenas, Lesia Crumpton-Young, and Ruben Canedo shared inspiring stories of how TRIO programs like Upward Bound played a pivotal role in their success, emphasizing the importance of investing in education and advocating for programs like Head Start, Talent Search, and Student Support Services to provide greater returns than taxpayer dollars spent on juvenile detention facilities.

Maura Casey

2022 National TRIO Achievers Tell Tales of Triumph Over Adversity

September 24, 2022

The TRIO Achiever Award honors the accomplishments after college of individuals who obtained a degree with the help of one of the eight federal TRIO programs for low-income, first-generation students.

News & Impact

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