Clarksville, TN – A week before Austin Peay State University hosted its winter commencement ceremony, a small celebration took place on the second floor of the Morgan University Center.
While jazz music played lightly in the background, eight students who participated in the University’s federally funded TRiO Support Services program were honored for their perseverance during a graduate recognition ceremony.
“We’re so proud of you,” John Johnson, TRiO director, said. “This is our way of acknowledging and recognizing you for your success, for staying in there and actually graduating.”
Since 1998 the TRiO program has helped those students who are first-generation college students, disabled or who come from low-income backgrounds. The program provides eligible students with tutoring, academic counselors, financial literacy training, academic workshops, cultural activities and information on graduate schools.
Last year, the U.S. Department of Education awarded the program with a five-year, $1.3 million grant to continue its work.
“We provide academic support, as well as helping them understand the process of going to school,” Johnson said. “We also have an open door where they can come and talk if they need help.”
For more information on the TRiO Student Support Services, visit the program’s website at www.apsu.edu/SSS