NORFOLK, Neb. — The U.S. Department of Education has awarded Northeast Community College a federal TRIO Student Support Services (SSS) grant totaling $272,364 to improve college retention and graduation rates among low-income, first-generation students, and students with disabilities.
This award marks the continuation of 10 years of TRIO SSS services on campus. Since 2015, the program has served over 800 students at Northeast, helping them stay in school, earn degrees, and build meaningful careers.
Through individualized services including academic tutoring, financial aid, scholarship guidance, career exploration, personal and academic counseling, and mentoring, TRIO SSS empowers students to overcome barriers to success. These comprehensive supports make it significantly more likely that students will complete their degree or successfully transfer, with the lowest possible debt.
“This grant allows Northeast to deepen our commitment to ensuring that all students — regardless of socio-economic background — can thrive academically and personally,” said Leah Barrett, president of Northeast. “Student Support Services equips our students with the tools and confidence to graduate and contribute to our region and our state.”
Tracy Kruse, vice president of Development and External Affairs, said she appreciates the work of Nebraska’s congressional members, including U.S. Rep. Mike Flood of Norfolk, to ensure new awards were made as directed by Congress.
“TRIO investment yields dividends by providing opportunities for future workers and leaders by lifting students who sometimes come from challenging situations. I commend Congressman Flood and others for helping to ensure that there will be more working people given a chance to improve themselves or enter a professional career, hopefully for generations to come. They can make a positive difference in our communities and beyond, entering such fields as childcare, the trades, agriculture or even medical fields.”
Nationally, the SSS program has a proven track record. According to a rigorous 2019 evaluation by the U.S. Department of Education, students in SSS at two-year institutions were 48% more likely to earn an associate’s degree or transfer to a four-year school, and students at four-year institutions were 18% more likely to earn a bachelor’s degree compared to similar peers not in the program.
At Northeast, 98% of TRIO students maintained a grade point average of 2.0 or better, and 88% graduated, compared to an average national graduation rate at two-year institutions of 35%.
TRIO-SSS aligns with bipartisan goals of increasing college completion rates, workforce development, economic growth, and reducing achievement gaps. By increasing graduation rates, TRIO-SSS ensures higher tax revenues, lower dependence on social services, and stronger economic growth.
Joshua Becker, director of TRIO Student Support Services, said the benefits that come from the program stay with Northeast graduates after they leave the institution.
“TRIO alumni at Northeast have gone on to do amazing work in their respective fields and continue to further their postsecondary education at many different four-year colleges and universities,” Becker said. “TRIO staff consider ourselves fortunate to have been a small part of so many different students’ success.”
Ashley Pena, a 2021 graduate of Northeast Community College, is now living her dream, teaching students to love language through a dual language program in the Fremont Public Schools.
Pena’s first language was Spanish, so she grew up going to ELL (English Language Learner) classes. She has aunts in Mexico who are teachers, and her family would visit them in the summer.
“I loved going to their classrooms,” she said, “and I thought that maybe someday I could go there and teach English to those students.”
Pena graduated from Norfolk Senior High in 2019, and continuing her education was not an easy choice.
“I was a first-generation college student,” she said. “My parents didn’t understand what college was like. At first, they were not as supportive as I wanted them to be. It was all new to them. They didn’t understand what a scholarship was. They thought I was getting myself into a lot of debt.”
In addition to the scholarship support she received, Pena stated that the support of Northeast’s TRiO staff was also a big help.
“TRIO really helped me find things like – where do I get my books, where can I ask about financial aid, how can I learn about future things like jobs, how to write a resume, how to budget my money, how to get a credit card, all of that adulting stuff.”
For more information about TRIO Student Support Services at Northeast, visit https://northeast.edu/support-services/academic-support/trio or contact Joshua Becker, director of TRIO Student Support Services by emailing jbecke22@northeast.edu.
About the Federal TRIO Programs
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 overcome academic, economic, and social barriers to higher education. TRIO services include assistance in choosing a college and tutoring; personal, financial, and career counseling; assistance in applying to college; workplace and college visits; special instruction in reading, writing, study skills, and mathematics; assistance in applying for financial aid; and academic assistance in high school or assistance to reenter high school or college.
TRIO Open House
During National First-Generation College Celebration Day in the fall, TRIO at Northeast invited students to have refreshments or sign the “Proud to be F1RST” banner and learn about resources available. (Northeast Community College)
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