Testimonials from TRIO Students and Staff

From Students | Staff

From Students

I am extremely excited to graduate with my A.A. at Mission College!!! I could not have accomplished this journey without the help of... TRIO. With their guidance, they have truly helped me to transform and mature into the person I always longed to be. I cannot be more thankful enough to have met them. They have created such an impact on my experience here at Mission.... I have made so many friends here being in the program with me and I will never forget all of the memories we have together. Thank you so much and I love you all and I will miss each and every one of you so dearly with all my heart!!! :)

- Kayla M., TRIO Student


The TRIO staff taught me how to apply for scholarships. They opened a whole new horizon of hope. I was awarded several scholarships in the succeeding years that helped a lot in my studies and medical bills. I earned two certificates, one in Graphic Design and one in Graphic Arts. I then transferring to San Jose State. I would not have accomplished all these without the help of the TRIO Program. They gave me the courage and strength to carry on. They taught me the tools to help me along the way. They guided me in my courses to get me where I wanted to go. They engulfed me in comforting hugs when the pressure got too much for me to handle.

TRIO was my family. It is a friendly, supportive happy environment for people undergoing various challenges to heal, grow, share and excel. Through TRIO, I met single parents rearing children while battling chronic diseases. There were young students from economically-challenged backgrounds, as well as returning students determined to turn their life around. Together we represent a motley group united by our desire to better ourselves to be proactive and productive citizens of our community and our country.

- Clarissa M-C., TRIO Student


I achieved a life-long dream of walking across the stage and turning the tassel from right to left, something I would not be able to say if I had not had the care, support, and extra help of the TRIO Program. The staff of the TRIO Program have been there for me not only for educational support but also for personal support. They saw me overcome being homeless, but not hopeless. They saw me through health problems. The program has a staff that becomes not only a mentor, but like a Mom for you: to lift you up when you are down and to give you a kick in the butt and say, “Hey, education is important.”

- Artie L., TRIO Student


TRIO was the only reason why I ever felt like I belonged at Mission College. Once high school ended, I attended a community college without knowing one person at the school. Being new at any school can make one feel out of touch with where they are, but TRIO was the one place at Mission College that gave a warm welcome. Since TRIO holds a small number of students, they are able to give as much time and energy to every person they meet.

They are a group of people who truly want to help make a student’s life easier. Their services include many helpful ways that have made my life easier as a student, such as the computers to print out homework before class or a quick chat with a counselor about which major is the best fit.

TRIO gives counselors the time to get to know their students. Another useful service is being able to pick classes early to juggle work, family and academics. The rate of community college drop-outs is too high, but I believe programs like TRIO give community college students hope and belief in themselves to get where they need to go. I know TRIO has inspired me to go forth with my education and I know I’m not the only one.

- Amanda S., TRIO Student


I've been going to Mission College for many years. Working full-time and being a student, this college was the most convenient in terms of location. If you ever get in TRIO, Michele Hittleman, counselor, is awesome. She has really contributed in my success here. I highly suggest you get in that program if you are eligible. It makes life here so much easier!

-Sherri L., TRIO Student


I attended Mission College and graduated with two A.A.s: one in Natural Science and Mathematics and another one in Biology. Thank you so much for all the help and support TRIO gave me! It truly was a blessing to be part of the program since I was constantly being encourage by amazing people, thank you!

- Edith C., TRIO Student


TRIO has been my guidance counselor helping me every step of the way with my education plans. Also, during a time when my financial aid was suspended, and my appeal denied, it was TRIO who said "do not give up". I didn't. They spent two hours with me on my letter to the appeals board. My financial aid was reinstated within a week. I am evidence that this program works. It's crucial to the success of many college students that otherwise may not have pursued college in the first place. TRIO is the hope and support that so many of us need.

- Melinda W., TRIO Student


TRIO has contributed a tremendous amount of help, encouragement, and resources that has led to a successful fulfillment of my education plan. The counseling that TRIO provided played a major role in my goals being reached. TRIO helped me research schools, take the proper courses, and many other things. I received a couple of scholarships through TRIO. That’s another thing that I am very thankful for: TRIO always encourages and helps their students to apply for scholarships. If it weren’t for TRIO, I would never have applied.

- Steve C., TRIO Student


TRIO has been an enormous part of my college experience, giving me confidence, a place of refuge, and a transitional resource for me to be able to transfer to San Jose State University with ease. I’m very grateful for the visions that come out of TRIO that reaches us the students in ways that no other program has, which takes us from college life to life itself. TRIO assures that students have the assistance, direction, guidance, and confidence that is needed to survive in college.

Workshops are another resource that TRIO provides students with; the knowledge to get ahead and make our lives easier outside of campus. This program makes a huge difference to us students. I was a student of TRIO and a single mom, and the TRIO program provided a place I could feel comfortable and safe. The TRIO program doesn’t discriminate and tries to reach as many students as they can by having resources of information that will take us students further then we thought was possible, a place where we feel that little extra push to succeed in our future endeavors.

- Melissa R., TRIO Student


The TRIO TRIO program has helped me in a lot of ways. Were it not for the care and concern of the staff for students, I would have never been able to achieve three scholarships and that was a big step for me. As a Veteran, I felt very welcome in the program and I learned several things from the program in regards to hunting for the right position in the field of employment, how to market myself, and more. I also got to know some of the other students that I otherwise would have never come in contact with.

- Earl H., TRIO Student

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From the Staff at Mission College

Certainly, as a counselorat Mission, I have heard numerous anecdotes from students who were so grateful to TRIO for the extra support they needed to succeed in college. From the computers/printers they can use to the warm welcome they receive from the director, counselors, and the other TRIO staff, they have found a safe "home" away from home to continue their education. Speaking from the counseling perspective, first generation college students need the most assistance to navigate through the college process.

-Thuy Thang, Counselor, Mission College


Since the inception of the TRIO Program at Mission, it has been instrumental in the success of many Mission College students. This program has helped students to remain in school and graduate, and most eventually transfer to a four year university.

There are many ways that I know TRIO has helped its students through services such as extra counseling, tutoring, computers in the office for students to use, help with transfer and scholarship information & applications, and being a safe place for TRIO students to hang out.

- Bob Miller, former Mission College Counselor


The assistance TRIO provides -- tutoring, scholarship application forms and a place for our students to “hang out” and receive peer support -- are what stand out for me personally. The extra attention our students receive is invaluable since CalWORKs, like most programs, is stretched with fewer staff and fewer dollars to provide even the most basic support our students so badly need.

- Donna Hale, CalWORKs Director, Mission College (and neighbor!)

As the first director of the TRIO program at Mission, I remember the great need at Mission College for this program. I remember many students who first came to the program with serious needs who eventually achieved A.A. degrees and went on to University.

There are many examples of TRIO' support. One involves a student in his early forties who came to Mission so afraid of college that he never got past the first few interviews. He just didn't believe he could succeed. He was a student with learning disabilities as well as financial needs. Eventually, he received his A.A. at Mission, then his B.A. in English from San Jose State and transferred to a graduate school with the plan to teach English at the community college level.

There are so many students with math issues that require a lot of emotional as well as academic support that is not typically available at the college. Without TRIO, many of them would never have graduated, much less transferred to a university.

I remember a student who had been accepted to Berkeley in Economics but was having trouble with her statistics class. Her teacher suggested that she reconsider her major. However, with support from TRIO, the student went on to successfully transfer and graduate from Berkeley's Economics department.

The fact that our school's students are largely first-generation-to-college and low-income makes the TRIO Program a very important resource for Mission students, especially in this economic downturn.

-Joni Johnson, Founding Director of TRIO Program at Mission College


As a reading instructor, working with at-risk students, I have seen the direct impact the Mission College TRIO program has had on student success in my classroom. TRIO empowers students to reach out to instructors and other student services. I know of students who would not have passed my classes without the aid that TRIO has offered.

- Aaron Malchow, Reading Instructor, Mission College


Many of my Library 10 students are typically students who plan to get their degrees and/or transfer to a four-year college. They are also frequently students who are not comfortable with technology or who have difficulty with classes for some reason – learning disabilities, language problems, etc. Many of these students have been helped by TRIO. I had two students in particular who were part of the TRIO program.

Both of them were single mothers and had learning disabilities. They were smart, intelligent young women who were trying to get a leg up in the world by coming back to college to improve their chances of supporting their kids. Without the help and encouragement of the TRIO program, they would not have been able to make it through the class. TRIO gave them help by providing the resources they needed to keep up with the class. The services TRIO provides make a huge difference to these students.

- Cathy Cox, former Librarian, Mission College