It took me ten years to complete an Associate of Arts in Liberal Arts and a Bachelor of Arts in Geology in that fashion.

The student loans I took out have been repaid without government assistance.

I too experience a high degree of satisfaction and yes, self esteem in my achievement which is the byproduct of taking education or any other task to fruition.

This past summer, the University of New Hampshire Upward Bound program hosted a panel of six former TRIO students. All came from poor families. All were in danger of either not graduating high school or not going on to college. And all attributed their current achievements to their involvement with TRIO. And what achievements they are! Two teach at UNH, one in English, the other in Chemistry. A third is a computer systems engineer at UNH. One was a state legislator and is now a middle school principal. One is working on an MA in Math Education and taught for Upward Bound this summer. And the last panelist is studying diet and nutrition at UNH and is hoping to compete in track and field at the next Olympics.

All spoke passionately about the role TRIO played in their education and their lives. But, in addition, they themselves are reaching out to thousands of others through the careers that higher education and TRIO made possible. Those who argue for budget cuts to educational opportunity programs offer a false dichotomy between throwing tax dollars at programs we can't afford or protecting our nation through fiscal responsibility. Ultimately we can only protect our nation through education. Not only does educational opportunity create a resourceful, contributing citizenry, but it gives each child so served a stake in the health and well-being of the nation.

The recent rioting and looting in London by disaffected youth shows all too well what happens when young people are uneducated and see no future for themselves or their families. Compare them to the students served by TRIO and Gear Up programs: students who believe so deeply in a nation that believed enough in them to help them rise up out of poverty and achieve their dreams. Educational opportunity is at the very heart of the American vision. If we turn our back on it, we give up an essential part of our national identity. Ultimately, we cannot afford not to educate all of our children.

At the age of 41 years old, I found out about SSS/TRIO and decided to check it out. I was accepted and started college with much apprehension. I was supported and quickly was succeeding. I was not only a great student, I was an honor student. I became involved on campus as well as in my community.

When I graduated this spring I had a GPA of 3.65 and had completed the honors program. I have two degrees: an AA in Liberal Arts as well as an AS in Criminal Justice. It is important to note I am the first from my great-grandparents down to have completed a college degree. That is huge since I also have five other siblings.
I am now working towards my BA in Criminal Justice and am interning at the local police department. Issues I am working on are Youth Homelessness and Domestic Violence. I talk to the youth and the victims about SSS/TRIO and yet I am concerned that it is not being funded.

I agree If we do not pay now we will pay more later. Data has shown that individuals that live in poverty are at a higher risk of committing crimes as well as medical issues. We need to make sure everyone has the opportunity to be the best they can be and to shine.

Today, my son is now a student in the TRIO program as the cycle of poverty has been broken. The important note here is that my son has a disability and no one believed in him. Yet, I do and more important, TRIO does and he is succeeding one step at a time.

I am in hopes this will only illustrate how important TRIO and the other programs are. Please do not take away a program that allows individuals to actually have a dream and allows them to be successful.

Beyond that, it is also true that widening gaps between the most affluent and the poor is a marker for societies that are destabilizing. That gap has been growing at a worrisome pace here in the U.S. and this does not bode well for our future.

In our own self-interest, to ensure a healthy and productive nation, there is no investment that pays greater dividends than education. We must protect funding that allows those of few means to access the educational ladder to greater economic security for themselves and their families.

Kathleen Schatzberg, President
Cape Cod Community College

The proven record of TRIO Programs successfully preparing students for graduation and positively impacting the lives of disadvataged individuals is no secret to congressional representatives; they hear about it regularly. The success of TRIO should encourage the Administration and Congress to more adequately fund the Programs, which would also advance the Administration's goal of increased graduation numbers by 2020. It's worth repeating...TRIO Works!