IA-MAEOPP Successes


	From the IA TRiO Fact Book Here are some profiles of TRiO students that have done well with the support of TRiO: Deborah Berry Several years ago Deborah faced an uncertain future. She wanted to go back to college and move beyond her career as a manager in retail sales. But the loans she defaulted on after earning an associate’s degree from Hawkeye Community College were holding her back and she felt returning to school was not an option. One day she took the advice of a friend and made an appointment with an UNI - TRIO Educational Opportunity Center counselor. One of the greatest challenges an adult person who wants to go back to school faces is defaulted loans. The perceived hopelessness of the situation can lead to a belief that there is no hope. However, after meeting with an UNI-EOC counselor Deborah’s life began to change and hope was alive once more. The TRIO program at the University of Northern Iowa’s Center for Urban Education helped her through the process of paying those loans and applying for college. Since that day, she has achieved many accomplishments in her life both academically and professionally. In 1998, she received her Bachelor of Science degree in Public Administration from Upper Iowa University and has been working toward her Master’s degree. Professionally after college, she obtained a position with the Waterloo Community Schools as an Education Site Coordinator of after school programs for at-risk youth. This position required a degree in higher education – a degree she now had. And as one opportunity lead to another, in January of 2000, Deborah was elected to serve as Waterloo’s 4th Ward City Councilwoman, serving over 14,000 constituents. Today, she holds the position of State Representative for House District 22 in the Iowa State Legislature, representing over 30,000 constituents. In addition to these accomplishments, Deborah was also honored in 2003 as one of four people receiving the National TRIO Achievers Award during the Council of Opportunity in Education’s annual conference in San Diego. Deborah’s accomplishments both academically and professionally show her strong determination. Her accomplishments reinforce the idea that education is the key to preparing us for future leadership roles and also show how TRIO plays an important role in assisting individuals to accomplish their goals. Laura Nutt Des Moines Area Community College Upward Bound Senior, Lincoln High School Laura comes from a single parent family, her mother is on disability. Laura’s family has been pretty negative when it comes to education. They find it snooty, unrealistic and a waste of time. She is truly a low income, first-generation student. My experience with the DMACC Upward Bound program has been one of the greatest opportunities of my life thus far. During the first semester of my senior year at Lincoln High School, I earned a 4.308 GPA, which raised my cumulative to 3.95. I’ve elected to take a full schedule this year, including four A.P. classes and two weighted classes. On top of maintaining my grades, I was working on a few college applications and with the help of my Upward Bound advisors, was able to finish them promptly. In addition, thanks to the Upward Bound program, I did not have to worry about application fees, a tremendous weight off of my shoulders and those of my mother as well. I am now a prospective Iowa Hawkeye with a twenty-thousand dollar academic scholarship awaiting my arrival. I plan on using it to assist me in my studies at the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. With a major in Ancient History and a double minor in International Studies and Political Science, I hope to break new ground for myself and my family by doing something none of them have ever accomplished, graduating from a four year university. I also plan to follow that up by doing my graduate studies at Brown University to earn a Doctorate in archaeology. I can not put into words how much I owe to the DMACC Upward Bound and all the people who have been there to help me along the way. Jessica Schmitt Northeast Iowa Community College SSS Alum Junior, Clarke College Jessica Schmitt is a single mom raising a son and a daughter. As a full-time student at Northeast Iowa Community College, she became active in TRIO in April 2005 until her graduation in 2006. Jessica dedicated every extra moment to her studies and it paid off. While at NICC, she held a 3.74 grade point average. She had a rough start trying to adjust to the ways of college as she grappled with her own religious beliefs. Although she blamed no one for any circumstances that may have not been the best for her while growing up, Jessica has blossomed because of her college experiences. She is an enthusiastic non-traditional student. Many SSS advising sessions included conversations regarding what new ideas she has learned from her classes. Her academic performance accurately shows her potential in future endeavors. Jessica exemplifies the ideal TRIO—Student Support Services participant; she is an active member and a positive contributor to this grant. Jessica found her calling while attending classes at Northeast Iowa Community College. By taking various social science classes, she realized her gift of helping others. People naturally relate to Jessica, because of her personal background and her ability to put others at ease. Jessica tutored for TRIO SSS and enjoys helping others learn as well. Because of her personal experiences and hard work, Jessica won the Carver Scholarship. This scholarship enabled her to continue as a fulltime student at Clarke College in Dubuque, Iowa. She is pursuing her Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work, with plans to be done in the spring of 2008. Beth Ann Thompson Iowa Lakes Community College ETS, SSS Alum B.A. Communication Studies, Iowa State University My family consists of my two older brothers, my mother and me. I am a statistic, the child of a lowincome, first-generation, single-parent household. Our lives were a constant struggle to simply survive, with no money and little hope. I have worked since I was 14 years old, helped with family expenses, purchased my own clothing and vehicles. Additionally, I was an active participant in the Educational Talent Search and Student Support Services programs. The educational and personal support I received from the TRIO Advisors was instrumental in my success. With their care, understanding and support, I learned to believe in myself and succeed, no matter what any other person said or did. While involved in TRIO, I served as a mentor for middle school students through ‘Success for Sixth’ and at the Heartland Summer Camp. I was a founding member of Teens for Talent Search—a group chosen based on leadership potential, grade point average and overall ability to be exemplary. I graduated in May of 2006 from Iowa State University, majoring in Communications Studies, minor in Sociology. I was fortunate enough to be awarded the Roy J. Carver Scholarship my junior and senior years. I am proud to say that I have achieved many personal successes. I am currently employed as the Marketing Manager for the new Wild Rose Casino & Resorts in Emmetsburg, Iowa. Dawniece Trumbo Iowa StateUniversity McNair Scholars B.S. Marketing 2007 Dawniece will graduate from Iowa State University this spring with a degree in Marketing.This fall she will begin working on her Master’s degree in Public Health. I applied to the McNair program as a junior and was accepted. From that time, I was shown the path to graduate education and given necessary preparation along the way. McNair has provided me the confidence, incentives, and opportunities to make the dream of obtaining the Ph.D. a reality. For example, I have a wonderful faculty mentor to help me complete my research project; I have used McNair issued fee waivers for the GRE and to apply to various graduate programs; and the conferences have been excellent preparation for my future. I can confidently say that I wouldn’t be where I am today had it not been for the McNair program. The prestige of being a McNair Scholar will follow me always. Thank you McNair!

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From the IA TRiO Fact Book

Here are some profiles of TRiO students that have done well with the support of TRiO:

Deborah Berry
Several years ago Deborah faced an uncertain future. She wanted to go back to college and move beyond her career as a manager in retail sales. But the loans she defaulted on after earning an associate’s degree from Hawkeye Community College were holding her back and she felt returning to school was not an option.

One day she took the advice of a friend and made an appointment with an UNI - TRIO Educational Opportunity Center counselor. One of the greatest challenges an adult person who wants to go back to school faces is defaulted loans. The perceived hopelessness of the situation can lead to a belief that there is no hope. However, after meeting with an UNI-EOC counselor Deborah’s life began to change and hope was alive once more.

The TRIO program at the University of Northern Iowa’s Center for Urban Education helped her through the process of paying those loans and applying for college.

Since that day, she has achieved many accomplishments in her life both academically and professionally. In 1998, she received her Bachelor of Science degree in Public Administration from Upper Iowa University and has been
working toward her Master’s degree.

Professionally after college, she obtained a position with the Waterloo Community Schools as an Education Site Coordinator of after school programs for at-risk youth. This position required a degree in higher education – a degree she now had. And as one opportunity lead to another, in January of 2000, Deborah was elected to serve as Waterloo’s 4th Ward City Councilwoman, serving over 14,000 constituents. Today, she holds the position of State Representative for House District 22 in the Iowa State Legislature, representing over 30,000 constituents.

In addition to these accomplishments, Deborah was also honored in 2003 as one of four people receiving the National TRIO Achievers Award during the Council of Opportunity in Education’s annual conference in San Diego.

Deborah’s accomplishments both academically and professionally show her strong determination. Her accomplishments reinforce the idea that education is the key to preparing us for future leadership roles and also show how TRIO plays an important role in assisting individuals to accomplish their goals.

Laura Nutt
Des Moines Area Community College Upward Bound
Senior, Lincoln High School

Laura comes from a single parent family, her mother is on disability. Laura’s family has been pretty negative when it
comes to education. They find it snooty, unrealistic and a waste of time. She is truly a low income, first-generation student.

My experience with the DMACC Upward Bound program has been one of the greatest opportunities of my life thus far. During the first semester of my senior year at Lincoln High School, I earned a 4.308 GPA, which raised my cumulative to 3.95. I’ve elected to take a full schedule this year, including four A.P. classes and two weighted classes. On top of maintaining my grades, I was working on a few college applications and with the help of my Upward Bound advisors, was able to finish them promptly. In addition, thanks to the Upward Bound program, I did not have to worry about application fees, a tremendous weight off of my shoulders and those of my mother as well.

I am now a prospective Iowa Hawkeye with a twenty-thousand dollar academic scholarship awaiting my arrival. I plan on using it to assist me in my studies at the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. With a major in Ancient History and a double minor in International Studies and Political Science, I hope to break new ground for myself and my family by doing something none of them have ever accomplished, graduating from a four year university. I also plan to follow that up by doing my graduate studies at Brown University to earn a Doctorate in archaeology. I can not put into words how much I owe to the DMACC Upward Bound and all the people who have been there to help me along the way.

Jessica Schmitt
Northeast Iowa Community College SSS Alum
Junior, Clarke College

Jessica Schmitt is a single mom raising a son and a daughter. As a full-time student at Northeast Iowa Community College, she became active in TRIO in April 2005 until her graduation in 2006. Jessica dedicated every extra moment to her studies and it paid off. While at NICC, she held a 3.74 grade point average. She had a rough start trying to adjust to the ways of college as she grappled with her own religious beliefs. Although she blamed no one for any circumstances that may have not been the best for her while growing up, Jessica has blossomed because of her college experiences.

She is an enthusiastic non-traditional student. Many SSS advising sessions included conversations regarding what new ideas she has learned from her classes.
Her academic performance accurately shows her potential in future endeavors. Jessica exemplifies the ideal TRIO—Student Support Services participant; she is an active member and a positive contributor to this grant.

Jessica found her calling while attending classes at Northeast Iowa Community College. By taking various social science classes, she realized her gift of helping others. People naturally relate to Jessica, because of her personal background and her ability to put others at ease. Jessica tutored for TRIO SSS and enjoys helping others learn as well.

Because of her personal experiences and hard work, Jessica won the Carver Scholarship. This scholarship enabled her to continue as a fulltime student at Clarke College in Dubuque, Iowa. She is pursuing her Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work, with plans to be done in the spring of 2008.

Beth Ann Thompson
Iowa Lakes Community College ETS, SSS Alum
B.A. Communication Studies, Iowa State University

My family consists of my two older brothers, my mother and me. I am a statistic, the child of a lowincome, first-generation, single-parent household. Our lives were a constant struggle to simply survive, with no money and little hope.

I have worked since I was 14 years old, helped with family expenses, purchased my own clothing and
vehicles. Additionally, I was an active participant in the Educational Talent Search and Student Support Services programs. The educational and personal support I received from the TRIO Advisors was instrumental in my success. With their care, understanding and support, I learned to believe in myself and succeed, no matter what any other
person said or did.

While involved in TRIO, I served as a mentor for middle school students through ‘Success for Sixth’ and at the Heartland Summer Camp. I was a founding member of Teens for Talent Search—a group chosen based on leadership potential, grade point average and overall ability to be exemplary.

I graduated in May of 2006 from Iowa State University, majoring in Communications Studies, minor in Sociology. I was fortunate enough to be awarded the Roy J. Carver Scholarship my junior and senior years. I am proud to say that I have achieved many personal successes. I am currently employed as the Marketing Manager for the new Wild Rose Casino & Resorts in Emmetsburg, Iowa.

Dawniece Trumbo
Iowa StateUniversity McNair Scholars
B.S. Marketing 2007

Dawniece will graduate from Iowa State University this spring with a degree in Marketing.This fall she will begin working on her Master’s degree in Public Health.

I applied to the McNair program as a junior and was accepted. From that time, I was shown the path to graduate education and given necessary preparation along the way. McNair has provided me the confidence, incentives, and opportunities to make the dream of obtaining the Ph.D. a reality. For example, I have a wonderful faculty mentor to help me complete my research project; I have used McNair issued fee waivers for the GRE and to apply to various graduate programs; and the conferences have been excellent preparation for my future. I can confidently say that I wouldn’t be where I am today had it not been for the McNair program. The prestige of being a McNair Scholar will follow me always. Thank you McNair!