The future of Trio has become uncertain. Trio is a group of federal outreach student programs that are designed to provide services for people with disadvantaged backgrounds. The programs consist of Upward Bound, Talent Search, and Student Support services. The first program, Upward Bound, was established in 1964 through the Economic Opportunity Act. This created the foundation for the development of Trio’s branches in 1968, and they have been operating in schools since.
Trio has been around for more than 50 years locally, helping first-generation college students, low-income students, and students with disabilities. Services include tutoring support, academic and financial advising, college admissions, and financial aid applications. Recently, the Trump Administration passed Executive Order 14151 to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs that use language of diversity, disability, gender balance, and oppression.
“There is a climate that our current administration wants to eliminate any kind of equity and access for diversity, inclusion, and equity. And a lot of Trio programs may have written [these] in their grants,” Trio Upward Bound Program Director Jen Dyke said.
The grants for Trio have not been accepted, even with different wording. As a result, the Trump administration has fully defunded 120 Trio programs nationwide for 2025. This includes the defunding of the Talent Search and Student Support Service arms of Trio at Arcata High School. Around 870,000 students will lose services in the United States. Just in Humboldt, Mendocino, and Del Norte counties, we are losing services for 1,500 people.
The future of the programs remains uncertain.
Anwen Lockwood, a senior who has been part of Trio for her high school years, reflects on the impact of Trio in her life. The program helped Lockwood figure out what classes to take. It also offered assistance in the form of tutoring, helping her pass her classes. Lockwood was also able to tour colleges for free as a part of the Trio Talent Search program.
“I could figure out what college I wanted to go to, and it was going to help me actually apply to college,” said Lockwood.
Students were able to see multiple colleges in California, such as UC Berkeley, San Francisco State, Chico State, Sacramento State, Cal Poly Humboldt, and others in one week. Around 40 students from Arcata, McKinleyville, Eureka, Fortuna, and South Fork high schools went.
Upward Bound, a college preparatory program, is still here and looking for more students to be part of the program.
“We are fighting it. Our intention is to fight it and win, and continue, but it is uncertain at this particular moment,” Dyke said.
