Title: Trio Celebrates 40 Graduates/Transfers and Seeks New Applicant Referrals

Title: TRiO Celebrates 40 Graduates/Transfers and Seeks New Applicant Referrals

The Montgomery College Student Support Services TRiO Program celebrated their students at the 16th Annual TRiO Awards Ceremony on May 16, 2017. The theme of the ceremony was “Dean’s List” since all of the graduates in attendance had been on the Dean’s List at some point during their time at MC. The keynote speaker was Dr. Tonya Mason, Collegewide Dean of Student Success and Rockville Student Affairs. Dean Mason congratulated students on their accomplishments and motivated them to continue their success in their future endeavors. Students were honored and thrilled to have met Dr. Mason, which made their experience of being on the Dean's List even more meaningful.

Some highlights of the event:

After eighteen years at MC, Ms. Hortensia Nje reached her academic goal and graduated with a degree in Early Childhood Education. Despite many obstacles and hardships, Ms. Nje managed to return to MC and complete her degree. Ms. Nje shared that she has sacrificed her life for her children, and earning a degree was a “treat” for herself.

Two students who started in the AELP program completed their degrees within two years. Mr. Shaopen Wei and Mr. Weizi Xu were not pleased when they learned that it would take them at least three years to complete their degrees at MC. Mr. Xu, a business major, and Mr. Wei, a computer science major, took at least 15 credits per semester, enrolled in winter and summer courses, and within two years, both students earned their associate’s degrees and have been accepted to UMD.

Ms. Shannaus Habib was referred to TRiO by Disability Support Services.Ms. Habib reported that her learning disability has served as a major obstacle in succeeding academically. Ms. Habib was told by many individuals during her lifetime that she should not go to college. For years, Ms. Habib has juggled both school and work. Despite the many challenges that Ms. Habib faces, she has earned excellent grades. Ms. Habib graduated and is currently working on a degree in health systems management at UB. She states, “My personal accomplishment is that I made it on the Dean’s List four times and that I finally am an educated person.”

When Mr. Amiralah Nesru joined TRiO in the fall of 2015 as a first-generation college student, he was unsure of his academic and professional goals. Within two years, Mr. Nesru graduated with a degree in business and he will be transferring to Smith School of Business at UMD this fall, where he will receive the Transfer Academic Excellence Scholarship (TAES) and will be majoring in finance and technology entrepreneurship. Mr. Nesru is a Phi Theta Kappa member and graduated with a 3.94 GPA. He is also a student of the Hillman Entrepreneur Program, which is a competitive scholarship program for students who have entrepreneurial skills and the potential to start a business or lead a company.

Former TRiO student, Mr. Kokou Ahama, who played the piano during the awards ceremony, was also recognized for graduating from UMBC with a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences and music. Mr. Ahama’s next journey entails starting medical school, where he will specialize in pediatric surgery. Mr. Ahama’s long-term goal is to be a humanitarian physician and work for Doctors Without Borders or the Red Cross. Mr. Ahama stated that it has been a challenging path, but he does not see himself doing anything else but becoming a doctor and working with children.

The TRiO program thanks Dr. Mason and the Office of Financial Aid for their continuous dedication and support of the program.

Since forty students have graduated and transferred from the program, TRiO is seeking assistance from staff and faculty to refer students who are seeking a degree and in need of academic support.

To qualify for the program, students must:

Be currently enrolled at MC.

Be in need of academic support.
Be U.S. citizen, or meet the residency requirements for federal student financial assistance.
Meet one of the following criteria:

First-generation (neither parent has received a four-year degree in the U.S.)
Low-income (students who are receiving the Pell grant).
Student with a disability (documented and referred by the DSS office).

Reasons students should participate:

Our tutors are available every day, both in person and remotely.
Our 2015-2016 Annual Performance Report to the Department of Education shows that 99% of our students are in good academic standing, 38% received a degree or certificate, and of those students, 29% successfully transferred to a 4-year institution.
Services: tutoring, academic advising, career and personal counseling, financial aid planning, and transfer planning.
Available resources: graphing calculators, textbooks, computer lab, academic success and transfer planning workshops.
Events: financial literacy seminar, cultural events, campus visits.