SUMMER 2021 COUNCIL FOR OPPORTUNITY IN EDUCATION

EQUALITY

National Student Leadership Congress participants pose in front of the Capitol building in June 2018.

A MESSAGE FROM THE 2022. The bill will go to the full PRESIDENT House for a vote the week of July TRIO Works! 26, 2021. In the coming months, the Senate will develop its bill for IN THIS ISSUE By Maureen Hoyler, President, Labor, Health and Human COE Unmet Financial Need and Services and Education (L-HHS- Indicators 2021 (Jul. 16, 2021) We’re on the way! ED) that includes TRIO funding. Yesterday the House Committee Here are the key members of the National Student Leadership Senate Appropriations Congress 2021 on Appropriations voted out the Fiscal Year 2022 Appropriations Subcommittee for L-HHS-ED that will decide whether TRIO MasteryPrep Expands COE bill, which includes money for receives a $200.8 million increase Partnership as Preferred education programs. It included in its bill as well. Exactly when National SAT Prep Provider a $200.8 million increase in TRIO, the largest in history and the that bill is brought up for a vote in Local Spotlight: TRIO down payment to double TRIO Subcommittee is not yet clear: Alumni Changing the Face of funding over five years. This hopefully in September. We’re Congress means more McNair, more asking TRIO students, staff, and Upward Bound, more Veterans alumni from those states to make Upward Bound, and Upward sure these Senators know that Bound Math/Science programs TRIO works! Email your Senators’ in the 2022-23 academic year. It education staff members here could also mean more and ask them to include the Educational Opportunity $200.8 million increase for TRIO Centers and Talent Search in the upcoming Senate spending programs as early as February bill. SUMMER 2021 COUNCIL FOR OPPORTUNITY IN EDUCATION

Facilitators stressed that experiential learning—having access to international COE sponsoredexperiences with— ispartners an essential part of acquiring global competence . INTERNATIONL ACCESS ECHO Center for Diversity Policy Keith Sherin Global COE sponsored with partners ECHO Center for Diversity Policy Leaders 2021 and The Hague University of By Holly Hexter, COE Applied Sciences. Taking part

were TRIO alumni, TRIO International exchange and professionals, and TRIO college global competence remain a vital students, as well as faculty and part of all students' education administrators from Ireland, the and is perhaps more essential Netherlands, Belgium, Croatia, than ever, speakers addressing and Germany. the first Keith Sherin Global Leaders virtual program said COE's Keith Sherin Global earlier this month. Dawn Michele Leaders Program provides study Whitehead, vice president of the abroad and Washington, D.C. Association of American Congressional internship

Colleges and Universities, said opportunities for TRIO college global learning opportunities leaders. It is named for former must be available to all students General Electric Chief Operating to make them competitive in a Officer Keith Sherin, a generous globalized workforce. supporter of the program. To date, about 400 TRIO students More than a dozen TRIO students took Whitehead, Yang, and others have participated in the program. part in this year’s virtual program. spoke during the program, which SUMMER 2021 COUNCIL FOR OPPORTUNITY IN EDUCATION

Counselors and student participants pose on Zoom during this year’s virtual program.

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT National Student Leadership Congress 2021

In June, over 200 TRIO pre- college students participated in COE’s virtual 32nd annual National Student Leadership Congress. Students participated in workshops, alumni panels and took virtual tours of Capitol Hill, the Supreme Court, Library of Congresswoman Susie Lee’s Legislative Director Ryan Shay met with Congress, and the Kennedy NSLC students. Center. Today, state team leaders chaperoned participants during their virtual Hill meetings with Members of Congress and students were connected to over a dozen selective colleges during our virtual college fair. COE thanks the counselors, team leaders, and students who participated in its virtual mock Congress and helped make it a resounding success! Check out some of the tweets from the Senator and staff hosted a virtual Hill visit. Congressional meetings at #NSLC2021. SUMMER 2021 COUNCIL FOR OPPORTUNITY IN EDUCATION

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT experienced substance abuse and and a minor in Native American Unmet Financial mental health struggles. As a Studies. In 2019, he graduated youth, he never had any dreams from Sac State with a Master of Need and Indicators of becoming anything when he Social Work, at the age of 43. 2021 grew up. After dropping out of college, Virgil restarted his Today, he is employed as an academic journey through TRIO’s Associate Clinical Social Worker Educational Opportunity Center (ACSW) at the Sacramento in Las Vegas in 2009. It was here Native American Health Center that he met Kyle Ethelbah, who (SNAHC) where he provides at that time was the Director of mental health services to University of Nevada, Las Vegas’ American Indian/Alaska Native (UNLV) Adult Educational (AI/AN) youth, between the ages Services (AES) program. of 10-24, and their families. Hear Virgil tell his full story by clicking Virgil’s academic journey started the link below. with one goal, which was to complete what he had started years ago at the community Virgil Rambeau college level. In 2013, he graduated with a Social and Virgil Rambeau, Sacramento Behavioral Sciences Associate in Native American Health Center Arts from Sierra College, in Rocklin, California. In 2016, he Virgil Rambeau is a first- graduated from the California generation graduate. He was State University, Sacramento raised in a low-income, single- with a Bachelor of Social Work, parent household, which SUMMER 2021 COUNCIL FOR OPPORTUNITY IN EDUCATION

EFFECTIVE PRACTICES point in highlighting the value their skills can improve their Promoting first-generation students bring future career opportunities. to the labor market. They are Accessible developing skills even if their Employment and work experiences differ from internships, fellowships, or other Workforce resume-enhancing experiences Opportunities for traditionally associated with college students. Advocacy First-gen Students efforts that benefit first- By Diane Schorr, Center for First- generation students in generation Student Success workforce-related matters include: How can administrators, staff, faculty, or students advocate for 1. Tailoring communications first-generation students in when advertising on-campus employment- and workforce- employment opportunities. related matters? 2. Lobbying career services offices to offer pre-event tours or First-generation students work special hours at career fairs. more hours than their 3. Joining state or local advocacy continuing-generation peers, efforts to raise wages. with a greater percentage 4. Recognizing the value of all employed in off-campus work experiences and creating positions that pay lower wages accessible opportunities for first- (RTI International, 2019). generation students to showcase Recognizing the power of all work experiences is a starting SUMMER 2021 COUNCIL FOR OPPORTUNITY IN EDUCATION

Senator Raphael Warnock

POLICY SEMINAR Both newly elected members Georgia TRIO assure the TRIO community that Alumni Changing they are focused on paying it back and forward by keeping the the Face of door open to education for the Congress underserved through TRIO programs. By Kate Robins “What’s more important than Georgia TRIO turned the volume up high on the voice of making history is making a Rep. difference,” Warnock said. “My underrepresented Georgians in commitment is informed by my November and January when it after college, if we don’t address sent two TRIO alumni to own experience.” He says he the high cost of education and graduated through low-interest Washington. Congresswoman people don’t have opportunities student loans and Pell Grants Nikema Williams, an alumna of to get there in the first place, TRIO Talent Search, Upward and is concerned about younger then we failed at building a strong student generations saddled with Bound, Student Support infrastructure in this country.” debt.” Our children too often Services, and McNair Scholars at Talladega State University, won have to mortgage their future to have a future,” he said. former Congressman ’s congressional seat, Williams, who admits that the representing Georgia’s 5th interest rate on one of her college district. Senator Reverend loans is higher than the loan Raphael Warnock, alum of the amount, shares with Warnock the Savannah State University belief that investing in people is Upward Bound program, became part of investing in our nation’s the first TRIO alumnus elected to core infrastructure. “If we don’t the U.S. Senate and first black have people who are educated senator to represent the state of and ready to enter the workforce Georgia. SUMMER 2021 COUNCIL FOR OPPORTUNITY IN EDUCATION

have happened if not for the vision that Arnold Mitchem had many years ago to start this organization, do the necessary outreach, the training, the advocacy for funds, and contacting federal representatives. My first exposure to COE was my freshman term in Congress. Dr. Mitchem approached me about the incredible opportunity that I suddenly had as a member of the appropriations committee that funded the Education Kyle Ethelbah Department, to help pay it forward. We walked for many years TRIO professional, you really are together to increase the funds for 40TH ANNIVERSARY COE because COE seeks your TRIO, and we did it in a bipartisan Stories of Impact input, seeks your voice, and seeks way. COE makes a difference in “If you are a TRIO professional, the voices of your students.” so many ways: through training, you are COE. We have always —Kyle Ethelbah, past COE board using alumni to expand their done advocacy very well, making chair and director of Federal network, extending themselves sure that our different regions TRIO programs at the University from campuses to their elected had the resources to provide of Utah officials and the staff in those services for our low-income offices. When elected officials communities. At the turn of the “COE has a profound legacy, learn about TRIO through COE, century, when “first-generation” helping thousands of young then they too can carry it forward began to emerge as a people from underserved areas for the federal financial resources conversation in higher education, who had no exposure to college TRIO needs.” we saw that we could mold the and are the future of our country. —Henry Bonilla, former Member conversation at the national level. I shudder to think what would of Congress and TRIO alumnus Our professionals have the sense of the larger conversation in Henry Bonilla higher education, associations, and industries. Early on, TRIO really kind of sat in the corner by ourselves. We are now at the table. I wish more people understood that COE is not the oversight organization or dictates what policy is going to be. The reality is COE brings people together to have conversations about current policy, what our voice means to this conversation, and how we can have an impact. If you are a SUMMER 2021 COUNCIL FOR OPPORTUNITY IN EDUCATION

PARTNER SPOTLIGHT Washington, D.C., the Pacific teaching to the test, we help MasteryPrep Islands, and Puerto Rico. students develop core academic skills.” Expands COE “Our company was founded on Partnership as the principle that every student MasteryPrep will continue to can graduate high school with a provide COE members with Preferred National college-ready ACT or SAT score, significantly discounted product SAT Prep Provider and every student deserves packages. Additionally, By Tommy Santora, MasteryPrep access to that opportunity. Our MasteryPrep has pledged a continued partnership with the portion of all sales to benefit MasteryPrep continues to COE, now as the Preferred COE, including funding of partner with the Council for National SAT Prep Provider, will MasteryPrep’s COE Policy Opportunity in Education to offer only strengthen our outreach and Scholarships, and offering MasteryPrep’s award-winning widen our scope to support TRIO growth opportunities for TRIO programs to high school students programs and the opportunities professionals to attend the nationwide, expanding its COE they afford for low-income, first- annual Policy Seminar in Partnership as the Preferred generation students,” said Craig Washington, D.C. National SAT Provider. Gehring, CEO of MasteryPrep. MasteryPrep has been the COE Check out these resources from Preferred National ACT Provider “We have developed the only ACT MasteryPrep: since 2017. This new partnership and SAT prep curricula designed • Why College? expands college opportunities for from the ground up to help • Motivation and the ACT: Turn low-income, first-generation schools boost their students’ I Cannot Do It to I Can Do It students, and students with scores, at no cost to the students • What Colleges Are Looking disabilities in all 50 states, or their families. Instead of for: The Big Five