To celebrate the 40th anniversary of TRIO Day, designated by Congress to raise awareness about eight federal programs that help disadvantaged students obtain postsecondary education, students gathered in the Mandela Room on Saturday to listen and share stories on what TRIO means to them.

Created in the 1960s as part of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s “War on Poverty” program, the original TRIO programs include Upward Bound, Talent Search and Student Support Services — all geared toward identifying and supporting people likely to succeed in college. Binghamton University also currently offers the McNair Scholars Program, which helps undergraduates prepare for and succeed in doctoral programs.

In 1986, Congress passed a resolution declaring the last Saturday in February as National TRIO Day. Steve Rebello, the director of Student Support Services, said a series of proposed cuts to TRIO programs that year mobilized people to raise awareness about their importance. Over 12 days, TRIO leaders nationwide travelled to Washington, D.C. with binders full of statistics and personal stories from people who benefited from the programs.

“They defended people — students — and in 12 days, they turned the tide,” Rebello said. “The cuts were not only stopped, but TRIO received an increase in funding.”

In its budget for fiscal year 2026, the Trump administration originally proposed a total elimination of federal funding to TRIO programs. While the program was ultimately saved, it faced cuts to services across the country.

By October 2025, the federal government cancelled more than 120 TRIO grants nationwide, according to the Council for Opportunity in Education.

Among these cancelled grants was the University’s own Upward Bound Math-Science program.

In January, a federal district court judge concluded the Council for Opportunity in Education was “likely to succeed” in demonstrating that the Department of Education’s TRIO cancellations were “arbitrary, capricious, and otherwise not in accordance with the law.” The judge vacated the Education Department’s noncontinuation and nonselection notices and ordered the department to reevaluate these grant terminations.

“TRIO has survived for more than 60 years, not just because TRIO works, but because it was defended,” Rebello said. “And it’s not just defended in courtrooms. It’s not just defended in budget hearings. It’s defended by people, by students, by alumni, by families. That’s when TRIO becomes something bigger than what exists here at Binghamton University.”

After Rebello concluded, Krizia Yao ‘25, a first-year graduate student studying public administration, joined Arifin Chowdhury, a senior majoring in biomedical engineering, in introducing themselves and welcoming students, alumni, faculty and community members.

Yao, who was the Student Association’s vice president for multicultural affairs during the 2024-2025 academic year, told attendees that “every meaningful opportunity I was able to pursue” during her college career “was because of TRIO.”

Macenzie Clark, a sophomore majoring in social work, then told her story as a first-generation college student whose positive experience with TRIO inspired her to become a program mentor in college.

“Here, this is a community that provides hope for us through free recreational activities, experiences, educational opportunities, tutoring services, counseling and mentoring,” Clark said. “This community and sanctuary has taught me not only to strive for greatness, but to fight for what I deserve. Honestly, I don’t even know if I would be up here on the stage today had it not been for TRIO’s constant support.”

Event organizers then went around the room and asked people to describe what TRIO personally means to them.

Kelcie Alba ‘25, a program specialist for the Council for Opportunity in Education, told attendees that the TRIO office made her transition from high school to college “seamless.” Program mentors helped Alba apply for and secure an internship in Washington, D.C. and granted funds to study abroad in Japan.

Last February, Alba traveled to Capitol Hill with other TRIO leaders to advocate on behalf of the program, inspiring her to move to D.C. after graduating in May.

University President Anne D’Alleva also spoke at Saturday’s event and told the audience that her grandparents, all immigrants who were unable to attend college, placed a very high value on ensuring their children could pursue higher education. Now, as an academic and administrator, D’Alleva said she considers it her job “to create opportunities for other first-generation students like my parents.”

As part of her “Listening to Lead” tour back in November and December, D’Alleva often asked students to describe what the University means to them in one word. Many students used words like “community,” “welcoming,” “supportive” and “home” when talking about the University.

“Those words, that’s the foundation of this University, that collaboration, that caring, that sense that the University is home,” D’Alleva said. “That suffuses this program — the TRIO program. And as I listed those words, I’m sure all of you were thinking, ‘Well, that describes TRIO, that describes how I feel about this program,’ and that describes, really, our larger University community.”

“And that’s something that we need to invest in, because it’s that community, that sense of community, that support for each other, that creates all the other kinds of success,” she continued.