TRIO Day brings together ASU scholars to pay it forward

At TRIO Day on Feb. 23, Sun Devils gave back to the community to “pay it forward,” said Jesse Cabanas, ASU Upward Bound program coordinator at the West campus.

TRIO Day was established by a U.S. congressional resolution in 1986 to recognize the impact of federal TRIO programs, which aim to provide broad access to higher education. The federally funded initiatives provide support to first generation, low-income students, students with disabilities and veterans who are pursuing a college degree.

There are nine TRIO programs at ASU, including pre-college programs for high school students and veterans, as well as college programs for current students.

Gardening with a Veteran was one of the ASU 2019 TRIO Day service projects.

“This year, TRIO Day was extra special,” said Cabanas, who is a TRIO alumnus. “All of the TRIO programs hosted a community service event. Showing solidarity, our programs always highlight the idea of giving back to the community.”

The events ranged from gardening with veterans to a disability-accessible Pokemon Go meetup. On Feb. 16 and Feb. 23, 265 people participated in ASU TRIO Day service events.

Cabanas was in TRIO’s Talent Search high school program, which gives high school students academic support, university exposure and resources to graduate high school ready to succeed in college.

Michael Bailon, a current junior at Glendale High School and a participant in the Upward Bound at West program, took part in TRIO Day to make “the world a better place one step at a time.”

Upward Bound is a TRIO program that offers academic support, mentoring and more to first-generation and low-income high school students to help them enter college and earn a degree.

Bailon, who participated in TRIO Day on ASU’s West campus, said that “TRIO has helped me become a better member of my community by helping out around the city.”

This year was the first year that Upward Bound was at the West campus, said T Ullrich, the director of Upward Bound at ASU West. He said that TRIO Day is a “great opportunity to learn about the city and the Valley, what the needs are and how [students] can help address them.”

The initiative also encourages TRIO scholars to help each other on their path to and through college, Ulrich added.