Tuesday, May 16: USC TRIO programs celebrate 40 years of college access for thousands of students

On Tuesday, May 16, USC will hold an awards and scholarship ceremony to recognize outstanding students who are completing the USC TRIO programs, which help them overcome class, social and cultural barriers to higher education.

Contact: Pamela Madrid, (626) 398-5033 (office), (626) 297-7199 (cell),pamela@pmadridcommunications.com; or Emily Gersema (213) 361-730 orgersema@usc.edu

WHAT: On Tuesday, USC will celebrate 40 years of success with the TRIO programs and honor the programs’ graduating seniors. At the ceremony, students will be presented with honors and scholarship awards, and academic sashes for their scholarship.

The nine USC TRIO programs:

• Provide promising students with counseling, academic instruction, tutoring, assistance with the college admissions process and financial aid.
• Assist 2,500 first-generation college bound, low-income students (150 percent below the poverty line) across 16 low-performing high schools in south and central Los Angeles.
• Have helped 15,0000 L.A.-area students since the program began in 1977.
• Graduate 97 percent of the participating students from high school.
• Create a path to college. Ninety-eight percent of the students go to college, and the vast majority attend a four-year college.

WHEN: Tuesday, May 16, 5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m.

WHERE: USC Galen Center, Founders Room, 3400 S. Figueroa St., Los Angeles 90089

*RSVP: Pamela Madrid,  (626) 297-7199 or pamela@pmadridcommunications.com, or Emily Gersema, (213) 740-0252 or gersema@usc.edu*

WHO: The keynote speaker for the event is Jonathan Franklin, the community and outreach director for the Los Angeles Rams who also is an alum of USC TRIO and a former running back for the Green Bay Packers.

USC and TRIO representatives, as well as TRIO students and their families will be in attendance.

ABOUT USC TRIO

USC currently hosts nine TRIO programs, which include four Upward Bound Programs, two Upward Bound Math-Science Programs, and three Educational Talent Search programs. USC TRIO is federally funded by the U.S. Department of Education.

First-generation college students, who are the first in their families to attend college, represent the majority of program participants. Students hail from local public schools from the university’s neighborhoods, in addition to, 15 high schools across six congressional districts.

A Saturday Academy component takes place over the course of 15-17 weeks each semester. It is an academic support program that meets at USC’s University Park campus on Saturdays from September to May, providing college access skills in mathematics, English, science, foreign language and SAT prep.

Program scholars can also attend a six-week summer residential program which offers participants a glimpse into the college experience by allowing them to live at USC and take college-level classes for credit.

Additional program information can be found on the USC Communities website.

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