Jordan Bocock (left) and Tasha Pederson (right) pose in front of the White House.
Throughout last semester, TRiO has hosted a variety of events and workshops. Now two TRiO students just got back from traveling to different parts of the United States to show others what Doane’s TRiO program does. Junior Tasha Pederson and sophomore Jordan Bocock were two of the lucky students to travel to Washington DC to talk to senators and representatives about how the TRiO program has helped them through college.
“Going to Washington was definitely one of the best experiences I have had at Doane so far,” Pederson said. “I think my favorite part was renting bikes to ride around the city and looking at all of the memorials, monuments and the sights of the city.”
During their visit, they learned a variety of things like how effective communication is crucial, and they also found out that TRiO is also known as the Council of Opportunity in Education (COE).
“Tasha and I shared our unique stories and discussed how TRiO has profoundly influenced us as students,” Bocock said. “Our diverse backgrounds and experiences highlight the beauty of life’s rich story.”
Along with effective communication, they also learned about how important it is to advocate, especially for things that matter to you.
“I hope that this, or another event like this, is available for more students in the future, I think it is a great way to show students that they can and will make a difference,” Pederson said.
In order to be in TRiO students have to be either a first-generation student (having parents that do not have a four-year college degree), come from a low-income household, or have a disability (IEP, 504 and ADA Accommodations). Students who qualify for TRiO but have not connected with the Academic Success Center yet can either see Executive Director of Support Student Services Beth Jacobsen in her office or email her at beth.jacobsen@doane.edu.
“I believe that encouraging students to participate would be a significant step in advocating for programs that uphold TRiO’s mission,” Bocock said. “I am confident that students will find this experience incredibly rewarding and meaningful. Changing the world one student at a time!”