1969
Gwen Moore
Gwen Moore, an alumna of the Upward Bound Program at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, is recruited by future COE President Arnold Mitchem to participate in the first Student Support Services cohort at Marquette University. She would go on to become the first African American elected to Congress from Wisconsin in 2004. She currently serves as the Co-Chair of the Congressional TRIO Caucus. Moore was a National TRIO Achiever in 1998.
1973
Gwendolyn Boyd
Gwendolyn Boyd joins the Upward Bound Program at Alabama State University in 1973. She would go on to become the president of the University from 2014 to 2016. Boyd was a National TRIO Achiever in 1997.
1976
Quintin Bullock
Quintin Bullock, an alumnus of the Upward Bound Program at Prairie View A&M University, enters the Pre-Med Program at Prairie View A&M University in Prairie View, Texas. Bullock would go on to enjoy leadership roles at several institutions. He currently serves as the President of the Community College of Allegheny County in Pennsylvania. Bullock was a National TRIO Achiever in 2011.
1981
Viola Davis
Viola Davis, along with her sister, Deloris, takes her first acting classes through the Upward Bound Program at Rhode Island College. Davis would go on to become one of the few entertainers to win all four major American performing arts awards – the Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Award. Davis was a National TRIO Achiever in 2001.
1982
John Quiñones
John Quiñones, an alumnus of the Upward Bound Program at St. Mary’s University, joins ABC News as a general assignment correspondent, providing reports for “World News Tonight with Peter Jennings” and other ABC News broadcasts, including, the hit series “What Would You Do?” Quiñones was a National TRIO Achiever in 1996.
1984
Wil Haygood
Wil Haygood, an alumnus of the Upward Bound Program at Ohio Dominican College, joins the Boston Globe as a staff writer. While at the Globe, he was a Pulitzer Prize finalist and remained there for several years before becoming a writer for the Washington Post. Haygood was a National TRIO Achiever in 1995.
1985
Barbara Harmon Schamberger
Barbara Harmon Schamberger, an alumna of the Upward Bound Program at Salem-Teikyo University, becomes the first female from West Virginia to be named a Rhodes Scholar. She would become the Secretary of Education in West Virginia. Schamberger was a National TRIO Achiever in 1995.
1986
Franklin R. Chang-Diaz
Franklin R. Chang-Diaz, an alumnus of the Student Support Services at the University of Connecticut, becomes the first Hispanic astronaut and served as a mission specialist on the STS-61C mission in 1986. His 25-year astronaut career included seven space shuttle missions and he eventually served as the Director of the NASA Advanced Space Propulsion Laboratory from 1994-2005 where he led the early development of the VASIMR® rocket engine. Chang-Diaz was a National TRIO Achiever in 1995.
1986
Aaron Ford
Aaron Ford joins the Upward Bound program at Southern Methodist University as a high school freshman in 1986. Ford would go on to become the Attorney General for the State of Nevada. Ford was a National TRIO Achiever in 2022.
1993
Lesia L. Crumpton-Young
Lesia L. Crumpton-Young, an alumna of the Upward Bound Program at Texas Southern University, becomes the first African American female to earn a Ph.D. from the Texas A&M University College of Engineering. Crumpton-Young was a National TRIO Achiever in 2023.
1998
Rich Niemiec
Rich Niemiec, an alumnus of the Upward Bound Program at Purdue University, is inducted into the Chicago Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame for his work around Oracle. Niemiec was a National TRIO Achiever in 2006.
1999
Aaron Rahsaan Thomas
Aaron Rahsaan Thomas, through the help of the Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program at the University of Kansas, Aaron gains admission to his “dream school” – the University of Southern California Graduate School of Cinematic Arts. He would go on to become an acclaimed producer and screenwriter, known for television shows such as “S.W.A.T.,” “CSI: NY” and “Friday Night Lights.” Thomas was a National TRIO Achiever in 2018.
2001
Tara Ruttley
Tara Ruttley, an alumna of the Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program at Colorado State University, starts her career at NASA. She currently serves as the Chief Scientist for Orbital Reef. Ruttley was a National TRIO Achiever in 2007.
2001
Trinity Thorpe-Lubneuski
Trinity Thorpe-Lubneuski participates in COE’s National Student Leadership Conference as a student in the Upward Bound Program at the University of Wyoming. She would go on to fulfill several leadership roles at Comcast. Thorpe-Lubneuski was a National TRIO Achiever in 2013.
2004
José Hernández
José Hernández, an alumnus of the Upward Bound and Student Support Services programs at the University of the Pacific, José is selected for astronaut training by NASA. He would go on to serve as a mission specialist on the STS-128 mission in 2009. Hernández was a National TRIO Achiever in 2001.
2006
Hector Balderas
Hector Balderas, an alumnus of the Upward Bound and Student Support Services programs at New Mexico Highlands University, Hector is recognized by the New Mexico State Bar Association as the Outstanding Young Lawyer of New Mexico in 2006. He would go on to serve as the state’s Attorney General from 2014 to 2022 and later as president of Northern New Mexico College. Balderas was a National TRIO Achiever in 2017.
2007
Charlene Dukes
Charlene Dukes, an alumna of Student Support Services at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Charlene becomes the president of Prince George Community College in 2007. She served in this role for 14 years. Dukes was a National TRIO Achiever in 2018.
2009
Krystal Brumfield
Krystal Brumfield, an alumna of the Talent Search program at Southern University and the Upward Bound program at Southeastern Louisiana University, moves to Washington, D.C. to serve as tax and procurement counsel for the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. She would go on to serve as the Associate Administrator and Chief Acquisition Officer of the U.S. General Services Administration. Brumfield was a National TRIO Achiever in 2010.
2009
Cornelieus Griggs
Cornelieus Griggs, an alumnus of the Talent Search program at Introspect Youth Services and the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement program at the Illinois Institute of Technology, launches GMA Construction Group, currently one of the largest contractors in the Midwest. Griggs was a National TRIO Achiever in 2013.
2013
Dana Hilliard
Dana Hilliard, an alumnus of Student Support Services at Keene State University and former Mayor of Somersworth, NH (2013-2023), is appointed by President Joe Biden to the National Board for Education Sciences. Hilliard was a National TRIO Achiever in 2014.
2014
Stephanie Peterson
Stephanie Peterson, an alumna of the Upward Bound program at the University of Nevada-Reno, begins her first senior leadership role at Microsoft. Peterson was a National TRIO Achiever in 2018.
2014
Anatasia Pittman
Anastasia Pittman, an alumna of Student Support Services at the University of Oklahoma, is elected to serve in the Oklahoma State Senate. Previously Pittman served in the Oklahoma House of Representatives and led the State’s Legislative Black Caucus. Pittman was a National TRIO Achiever in 2009.
2015
Jacklyn Chisholm
Jacklyn Chisholm, an alumna of Student Support Services at Case Western Reserve University, became the President and CEO of Step Forward, the largest community action agency in Ohio. Chisholm was a National TRIO Achiever in 2008.
2015
Steve Pemberton
Steve Pemberton, an alumnus of the Upward Bound program at University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth, is appointed by United States Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez to serve on the Advisory Committee for the Competitive Integrated Employment of People with Disabilities. Pemberton was a National TRIO Achiever in 2006.
2016
Darcel Clark
Darcel Clark, an alumnus of the Talent Search program at the Tremont Improvement Program Neighborhood House (TIP), and Student Support Services at Boston College, becomes the 13th District Attorney for Bronx County. She is the first woman to hold that position and the first African-American woman to be elected a District Attorney in New York State. Clark was a National TRIO Achiever in 2018.
2017
James Monteiro
James Monteiro, an alumnus of the Educational Opportunity Center at the Community College of Rhode Island, founded the Reentry Campus Program which helps currently, and formerly incarcerated individuals complete the postsecondary education programs that they started behind prison walls. Monteiro was a National TRIO Achiever in 2022.
2017
Marvin Pendarvis
Marvin Pendarvis, an alumnus of Student Support Services at the University of South Carolina, was elected in the House of Representatives for South Carolina in 2017. Pendarvis was a National TRIO Achiever in 2020
2018
Sarah Smarsh
Sarah Smarsh, an alumna of the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program at the University of Kansas, publishes her book Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth and it becomes an instant New York Times bestseller, a finalist for the National Book Award and the Kirkus Prize, the winner of the Chicago Tribune Literary Prize. Smarsh was a National TRIO Achiever in 2022.
2018
Robert Jackson
Robert Jackson, an alumnus of the Upward Bound Program at the Union Settlement Association, became the first Muslim state senator of New York. Jackson was a National TRIO Achiever in 2011.
2018
Harry Lee Williams
Harry Lee Williams, an alumnus of Student Support Services at Appalachian State University, becames President and CEO of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund in 2018. Williams was a National TRIO Achiever in 2016.
2019
Nikema Williams
Nikema Williams, an alumna of the Upward Bound, Talent Search, Student Support Services, & the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement programs at Talladega College, becomes the first African-American woman to chair the Georgia Democratic Party. She would go on to represent the 5th Congressional District of Georgia, succeeding her mentor, John Lewis, in the U.S. Congress. Williams was a National TRIO Achiever in 2021.
2019
Cheryl Johnson
Cheryl Johnson an alumna of the Upward Bound program at Loyola University-New Orleans and Student Support Services at the University of Iowa, becomes the 36th Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives. Johnson was a National TRIO Achiever in 2023.
2020
Kiesha King
Kiesha King, an alumna of the Upward Bound program at Arizona State University, is named a Digital Equity Honoree by the Federal Communications Commission. King was a National TRIO Achiever in 2022.
2021
Raphael Warnock
Raphael Warnock, an alumnus of the Upward Bound Program at Savannah State University, becomes the first African American to represent Georgia in the U.S. Senate, and the first Black Democrat elected to the Senate from a Southern state. Warnock was a National TRIO Achiever in 2007.
2023
Brian Black
Brian Black, an alumnus of the Talent Search program at Greenville Urban League/Greenville Technical College, is named the Global Director, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Hexion, Inc. Black was a National TRIO Achiever in 2015.
Talent Search
Talent Search
Talent Search projects serve young people in grades six through 12. In addition to counseling, participants receive information about college admissions requirements, scholarships, and various student financial aid programs. This early intervention program helps youth from low-income families to better understand their educational opportunities and options. More than 312,000 students are enrolled in 473 Talent Search TRIO projects. According to the more recent data collected by the U.S. Department of Education, 80% of Talent Search participants enrolled in postsecondary institutions immediately following high school graduation.
Upward Bound
Upward Bound
Upward Bound (UB) is an intensive intervention program that prepares students for higher education through various enrichment courses. Campus-based UB programs provide students instruction in literature, composition, mathematics, science, and foreign language during the school year and the summer. UB also offers intensive mentoring and support for students as they prepare for college entrance exams and tackle admission applications, financial aid, and scholarship forms. 956 Upward Bound projects are serving more than 70,000 students. Recent analysis from the U.S. Department of Education showed that 86 percent of Upward Bound students in the 2013–14 high school graduation cohort enrolled immediately in college following high school graduation.
Featured Blog
50 Years of Upward Bound
Upward Bound Math-Science
Upward Bound Math-Science
Using a similar model to Upward Bound, Upward Bound Math-Science provides students with a rigorous math and science curriculum in high school to encourage and enable them to successfully major in critically important science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) disciplines in college. Currently, there are 211 projects serving more than 13,100 students. Indeed, 70% of Upward Bound Math-Science programs have postsecondary enrollments of 80% or higher.
Veterans Upward Bound
Veterans Upward Bound
The Veterans Upward Bound program provides intensive basic skills development and short-term remedial courses for military veterans to help them successfully transition to postsecondary education. Veterans learn to secure support from available resources such as the Veterans Administration, veterans associations, and various state and local agencies that serve veterans. There are 64 Veterans Upward Bound projects serving more than 8,400 students. According to the National Association of Veterans Upward Bound Program Personnel, in 2010-2011, more than 60% of recent program participants were enrolled in postsecondary education programs.
Student Support Services
Student Support Services
Student Support Services projects work to enable low-income students to stay in college until they earn their baccalaureate degrees. Participants, who include disabled college students, receive tutoring, counseling, and remedial instruction. More than 202,000 students are now being served by 1,069 Student Support Service programs at colleges and universities nationwide. Recent studies of Student Support Services found that program participation resulted in statistically significant higher student retention and transfer rates, improved grade point averages, and credit accumulation. Program participants also bested their similarly situated peers in degree completion at two-year colleges (41% vs. 28%) and four-year colleges (48% vs. 40%).
Educational Opportunity Centers
Educational Opportunity Centers
Educational Opportunity Centers serve displaced or underemployed workers from families. These Centers help individuals choose a college and a suitable financial aid program. There are 142 Educational Opportunity Centers in America, serving more than 199,000 individuals. A recent analysis of performance data of the Educational Opportunity Centers found that more than half (57.6%) of “college-ready” students enrolled in institutions of higher learning and 71% of eligible EOC participants (high school seniors, postsecondary dropouts) applied to college.
Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program
Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program
The Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement program encourages low-income students and minority undergraduates to consider careers in college teaching and prepare for doctoral study. Students who participate in this program are provided with research opportunities and faculty mentors. This program was named in honor of the astronaut who died in the 1986 space-shuttle explosion. Currently, there are 187 projects serving more than 5,200 students. According to recent performance data, in 2013-14, 69% of McNair participants who graduated in 2010-11 were enrolled in graduate school; meanwhile, 83% of students who first enrolled in graduate school in 2012-2013 persisted in their studies.
Featured Blog
Ronald E. McNair and Perseverance
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