Breaking-Barriers-to-Educational-Success.php

Breaking Barriers to Educational Success through TRIO

• Students
• 11/19/2025

Transforming the college experience for first-generation, low-income, and underrepresented students, the TRIO Student Support Services (SSS) Achieve Program at Rock Valley College is funded by the U.S. Department of Education and remains a critical resource for students who face significant barriers to higher education.

 

In 2020, Rock Valley College received a grant of $261,888, and has had a 4% annual increase since then, ensuring continuous support for student success. The funding enables Rock Valley College to provide personalized academic advising, tutoring, financial literacy, scholarship workshops, transfer and career guidance, cultural enrichment opportunities, and mentorship. Each of these services contributes to student retention, academic achievement, and long-term educational success.

Rock Valley College is one of the few colleges that has two TRIO SSS programs: SSS Achieve, which helps students with disabilities, and SSS Complete, which helps low-income and first-generation college students. Together, these programs play an essential role in helping students persist, graduate, and reach their full potential.

Since the program was renewed, it has consistently met and exceeded the performance targets set by the federal government, serving 100 students annually and maintaining strong outcomes in retention, academic standing, and graduation. Recently, the program reported that 72% of participants were in good academic standing, surpassing the federal target of 65 percent.

“TRIO programs at Rock Valley College serve more than 300 students each year, helping them persist, graduate, and achieve their goals,” said Dr. Elaine Shannon-Dussard, Executive Director of TRIO Programs. “Through the TRIO SSS Achieve and Complete programs and the TRIO Upward Bound grant, we bridge the gap from high school to college and from college to graduation, empowering students through mentoring, academic coaching, and access to essential resources like the Eagle’s Nest Food Pantry.”

TRIO’s impact goes way beyond just academics. Many participants are the first in their families to attend college, and the program’s guidance helps them navigate unfamiliar challenges while building confidence and resilience. Students receive mentorship and practical support that empower them to persist through personal, financial, and academic obstacles.  And while these efforts are great for individual students, they also have a really positive impact on the whole community by helping to create a more equal and prosperous society in the Rockford region.

Coordinator of the TRIO SSS Achieve Program, Ashli Horneij, has observed that students with disabilities often encounter messages suggesting they have less value or potential than their peers. “TRIO Achieve, RVC’s disability-focused TRIO program, helps change that story. We work alongside students as they uncover their strengths, develop the tools to overcome challenges, and break down barriers. Their involvement in TRIO empowers them not only to advocate for themselves, but also to lift up others along the way.” she says.

In March 2025, Dr. Elaine Dussard and Catherine Buerger from Rock Valley College TRIO programs had the opportunity to go to Washington, D.C., to advocate for TRIO programs in our community and across the nation. During this visit, they were able to visit Representative Bill Foster’s office to leave them with data and stories of how the TRIO programs impact Illinois’ 11th District. They were also able to meet with a staffer in Representative Darin LaHood’s office to speak on the significant work that TRIO programs do in Illinois’ 16th District.  They were able to highlight some of their upcoming graduates and show how the TRIO program’s support of educational attainment provides an increase in economic outcomes.

“The best part of our work is witnessing the moment when students move from thinking the obstacles are too great or that they’re not capable of success, to realizing they have both the ability and the support to achieve any goal they set,” said Catherine Buerger, Project Coordinator for TRIO Complete.

TRIO Student Support Services is one of the eight main federal TRIO programs that were set up by the Higher Education Act of 1965. Since it started back in 1968, it has helped millions of low-income, first-generation, and disabled students enroll in and graduate from college. According to 2019 evaluation by the U.S. Department of Education, students participating in SSS at two-year institutions are 48 percent more likely to earn an associate degree or transfer to a four-year institution than their peers who are not in the program.

 

“The best part of our work is witnessing the moment when students move from thinking the obstacles are too great or that they’re not capable of success, to realizing they have both the ability and the support to achieve any goal they set.”

Catherine Buerger, Project Coordinator for TRIO Complete