PABLO — More than a third of students at Salish Kootenai College rely on TRIO Student Support Services for tutoring, advising and financial aid counseling — resources that help them stay in college and graduate. But the federal funding behind that support is now in jeopardy.
On Wednesday, TRIO students at Salish Kootenai College gathered to celebrate a year of academic success. But as future funding for these services remains uncertain, students and staff are asking what would happen if the programs disappear.
Summer Underwood knows firsthand the barriers to higher education. As a first-generation college student and mother, she moved to Pablo in 2023 but did not know where to start with her education. That is where TRIO stepped in.
"They're just really resourceful when it came to areas on campus and who to go to for what," Underwood said.
TRIO is a program that assists first-generation college students, students from low-income backgrounds, and students with disabilities through book loans, career development, mentors, tutoring and more.
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Kathy Mayers, the TRIO Student Support Services director at SKC, is also a TRIO alumna. She says the program's reach extends far beyond campus.
"There's over 800,000 TRIO graduates across the United States. These are students who are out in the workforce and serving their community. Without these programs, I would not be where I am today, and I can say that for our students 100 percent," Mayers said.
But now, the Trump administration is considering cuts to TRIO funding at colleges nationwide. That has left SKC students wondering about their future.
"It's hard for colleges to uphold that funding source, being grant-funded. So if our funding goes away, our program goes away. It is very scary and it breaks my heart," Mayers said.
Underwood, who received SKC's TRIO Scholar of the Year award at this week's celebration, says the program has been life-changing.
"I just personally don't think I would still be here had it not been for them," Underwood said.
Mayers says the numbers speak for themselves about a program that has been serving students since 1965.
"Our students are our heartbeats. We need this federal program to continue. It's incredibly important, and it is an investment in tax dollars," Mayers said.
Underwood echoed that sentiment.
"I would really be sad without it. I don't want it to ever end," Underwood said.
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