ISSUED: 2 March 2020
MEDIA CONTACT: Valerie Owens
SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV — Shepherd University’s TRiO programs, Student Support Services and Upward Bound, hosted a National TRiO Day Celebration on February 22. National TRiO Day is celebrated on the last Saturday in February each year to highlight the positive impact of TRiO programs in communities throughout the nation.
Shepherd hosted more than 100 TRiO students from George Washington University, Hagerstown Community College, Montgomery College, and West Virginia University. Students were given an opportunity to attend workshops, take part in a student panel discussion about their experiences in TRiO, and participate in various activities. The keynote speaker was Justin Barker, lead facilitator at Swiftkick, a leadership training company. Barker shared a message of self-empowerment and leadership.
The theme for the day was The Power and Magic of TRiO. Cynthia Copney, director of Shepherd’s TRiO Program, explained during her welcoming remarks that TRiO has a powerful influence over the students because it changes lives forever.
“Once the cycle of not going to college is broken in a family, it is broken forever,” Copney said. “Being in TRiO will transform your life, the lives of your family members, and your community by providing an educated workforce. That is the magic of TRiO.”
TRiO programs are federally funded by the U. S. Department of Education and work with students who are first-generation, income eligible, or have a documented disability to help them enter college and earn a degree.
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