For more than 30 years, USC TRIO Programs have fostered the collaboration of university, school districts, and community interests in South East, South Central and Central Los Angeles.

Those partnerships have resulted in college diplomas for thousands of poor and minority students - the first in their families to graduate and earn such a distinction. The USC TRIO programs will graduate over 100 students this year alone. Over the years, nearly 80% of high school seniors who go through USC TRIO go to college.

The USC TRIO mission is to provide outreach and opportunities to create social change in our communities and schools. USC TRIO Programs fulfills this mission by providing our least advantaged citizens with information and assistance that can make educational dreams possible (see attached map for current USC TRIO target schools and service areas).

Take Abel Castillo as an example. Despite overwhelming challenges, Abel is graduating from Santee Education Complex and will receive the Gates Millennium Scholarship Award (http://www.gmsp.org/) to attend the University of California, Berkley. Abel discloses:

Growing up in South Central Los Angeles has been really difficult for me and my family. With all the violence, drugs, and gangs that surround us, it’s really hard for us to feel safe as we walk down the street ... [Yet] I have always been a fan of school and learning. The mere fact that there are thousands of facts that are just waiting to be discovered by us just get me psyched. I had applied for the Gates Millennium Scholarship after completing my college applications. As I filled out the application, I kept thinking “Man this is though; I should stop filling this out. I’m not good enough for this scholarship.” I continued to think this, until I finally snapped out of it and committed to finishing the application. The next month I was named a finalist and later was awarded the Gates Millennium Scholarship.

Earning scholarships makes a tremendous impact on students and their families as they struggle to make ends meet and go to college. Throughout the years, we have confirmed that education is the most powerful weapon to defeat the cycle poverty (The Pell Institute, 2009). Although most of the funding comes from the federal government, the USC TRIO Education Fund has been established this year to support the program and increase student scholarships. For more information, contact Dr. Juan C. Araque, USC TRIO Executive Director at 213-743-1708 or araque@usc.edu.