Saturday, April 20, 2024
Money to help first generation student-
Tarleton State University has been awarded $1.3 million in federal grants to help financially-challenged first generation students succeed.
The new Student Support Services program will include academic support, financial counseling to reduce student loan debt and guidance on how to compete in the job market.
Student Support Services is one of the TRIO programs funded through the U.S. Department of Education.
TRIO is not an acronym. It was given its name after the federal Upward Bound, Talent Search and Student Support Services programs were created under the U.S. Department of Education umbrella.
Tarleton already offers services for high school students through its Upward Bound and Talent Search programs.
Now, with Student Support Services, TSU staffers will follow 140 qualifying “first-gen” college students for five years, even if they enter graduate school at another institution or start their careers after their time at Tarleton.
The program will be headed by Hamilton native Jenny Watts, director of Tarleton’s TRIO programs.
Watts is herself a first-generation college student. She said that she put herself through Tarleton through grants and student loans.
“First gen is my passion,” she said of students striving to be the first in their families to earn college degrees.
Watts applied for the competitive federal grants and said that the program is “an amazing opportunity” for students.
“We’re super excited,” she said.
To qualify for the Student Support Services program, students must have parents without bachelor’s degrees and must qualify for federal Pell grants.
The official launch of Student Support Services will be on Thursday, Nov. 12, Watt said. It will involve an information table and giveaways.
Watt said that the university will go “all in” with services for selected students in January at the start of the spring semester.
She said that “a certain percentage” of participating students will need to graduate if the university is to continue receiving the funding.
Watts said that financial counseling for participating students will be designed to help them make wise choices as it pertains to student loans.
However, participants will also learn “adult financing” skills, such as determining whether it is better to lease or to buy a vehicle.
Applications for the program can be downloaded at tarleton.edu/trio/studentsupport-services.html.
Watts can be reached at watts@tarleton.edu or 254-968-9369.
“Having a team of college advisers to help you navigate everything from choosing the right college major to preparing you for your first professional job interview is inspiring,” Watts said.
“It’s like having your own college adviser who helps you from the minute you step on campus until you walk across the graduate stage.”
More than 400 students from Hood County attend Tarleton.
