[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 32 (Tuesday, March 2, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Page S2153]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           NATIONAL TRIO DAY

 Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, I rise to bring my colleagues 
attention to the celebration of National TRIO Day which took place on 
Saturday, February 28. National TRIO Day--which was created by a 
concurrent resolution during the 99th Congress--is celebrated every 
year on the last Saturday of February, and serves as a day of 
recognition for the Federal TRIO Programs.
  As my colleagues are aware, the TRIO Programs actually consist of 
several educational programs: Talent Search; Upward Bound; Upward Bound 
Math/Science; Veterans Upward Bound; Student Support Services; Ronald 
E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program; and Educational 
Opportunity Centers. These programs, established over 30 years ago, 
provide services to low-income students and help them overcome a 
variety of barriers to obtaining a higher education, including class, 
social, and cultural barriers.
  Currently, 2,000 colleges, universities and community agencies 
sponsor TRIO Programs, and more than 780,000 low-income middle school, 
high school, and adult students benefit from the services of these 
programs. By lifting students out of poverty, these students can pursue 
their highest aspirations and achieve the American dream, even as our 
nation is collectively lifted to new heights.
  Mr. President, there are 15 TRIO Programs in my home State of Maine 
that serve 6,000 aspiring students each year. I know that these 
programs work because I have seen and heard of the tangible impact the 
programs have had--and continue to have--on individuals in Maine.
  The impact of the TRIO Programs speaks for itself when considering 
that TRIO graduates can be found in every occupation one can think of, 
including doctors, lawyers, astronauts, television reporters, actors, 
state senators, and even Members of Congress. In fact, two of our 
colleagues in the House of Representatives--Congressman Henry Bonilla 
and Congressman Albert R. Wynn--are graduates of the TRIO Programs.
  In closing, as we celebrate National TRIO Day, I would like to 
encourage my colleagues to learn more about the TRIO Programs in their 
respective states, and see for themselves the impact the programs have 
had--and continue to have--on their constituents. Ensuring that all of 
our nation's students who desire a higher education are able to attain 
it is a goal that I think we can all agree on--and TRIO makes it 
possible.

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