TRiO Upward Bound students mark TRiO Day with service project

MOSES LAKE —Students in Big Bend Community College’s TRiO Upward Bound Program recently got together to assemble sack lunches for community members in need. They came up with the project as a way to mark National TRiO Day, which is celebrated across the country each February to raise awareness about the importance of educational opportunities for low-income and/or first-generation students.

Students assembled 50 sack lunches, each containing a sandwich, chips, fruit, bottled water and a handwritten inspirational message. The sack lunches will be distributed to those in need by local non-profit Serve Moses Lake.

“National TRIO Day has become a tradition as it allows students who benefit from a TRiO program to give back to their local communities through acts of service,” said BBCC TRiO Upward Bound director Anita De Leon. “The goal of this project was for students to work together to address a community need and to instill in them the importance of civic engagement.”

TRiO Upward Bound is an intensive college readiness program that prepares high school students for higher education.

The Upward Bound program at Big Bend has been on campus since 1967, and is one of the oldest Upward Bound programs in the nation. TRiO advisors help students who are from low-income backgrounds and who are often first-generation college students, with anything and everything college related- including tutoring, career planning, assistance with college and financial aid applications and SAT/ACT preparation.

In addition, students participate in a variety of cultural and social events while in the program. They also participate in the TRiO Upward Bound Summer Academy, which is held each year on the Big Bend campus.

The program is currently serving 120 students this academic year.