A few years ago, Sam Sutton moved from California to Illinois and enrolled at Elgin Community College. She was homeschooled her whole life, which made the social part of school difficult -- especially in a new place away from family. She was also financially unstable, which made it daunting just to enroll.
Sutton’s grades were pretty good, but she didn’t feel connected.
“When I would struggle on an assignment," she said, "I wouldn't ask my teachers for help. I would just like suck it up and ask the internet."
Her art club advisor told her about TRIO Student Support Services (SSS). It’s one of eight federal TRIO programs and one of three offered at Elgin Community College.
Student Support Services provides one-on-one counseling, tutoring, and other assistance. The US Department of Education-funded program is for low-income, first-generation, and students with disabilities.
Soon, Sutton’s art club advisor became her TRIO coordinator, which she says has helped her blossom as a student.
“She actually went with me to talk to my professor," said Sutton. "She was there making sure that not only was I feeling supported and I had somebody to turn to, but to make sure I knew what questions to ask.”
But Sutton says TRIO’s helped her with much more than academics.
“Moving out here away from my family, I obviously didn't have a job, and I was not financially stable," she said. "TRIO really gave me a lot of opportunities, and they made it really easy to find ways to help that. They put me in connection with the food pantry we have here on campus, and they helped me find jobs."
Natalie Leisering says that’s how TRIO is supposed to work. She’s Elgin Community College’s Associate Dean of Student Success.
“When students have those one-on-one meetings with a student support person," she said, "they're more likely to succeed than someone that doesn't."
That’s backed up by federal data. In 2019 during the first Trump administration, the US Department of Education released a study on TRIO Student Support Services. It found that SSS students at four-year schools were 18% more likely to complete a degree than similar students who weren’t in the program.
At community colleges, like Elgin Community College, the difference was even more significant. Students like Sutton at two-year schools were 48% more likely to earn a degree, certificate, or transfer to a four-year school.
The non-profit Council for Opportunity in Education supports and advocates for TRIO. A spokesperson told WNIJ that this year the Trump administration has cut over 100 TRIO programs across the country, with more than 40,000 students no longer receiving services.
In Illinois, the administration has canceled three programs, which represent over $1 million in grants and more than 1,000 students no longer receiving TRIO services. The spokesperson said they could not disclose which Illinois institutions had programs canceled.
The TRIO grants the administration canceled all had diversity-related goals or efforts. In some cases, grants mentioned the program would be part of the school’s DEI office.
Elgin Community College has not had its grants cut. Leisering says their TRIO Student Support Services still serves 362 students.
“SSS is unique in that it allows student caseloads to be low so that the coordinators are able to actually meet for longer periods of time with their students," she said. "There are some areas across higher education where case loads in community college settings can be upwards of 600 to one.”
With their grant, their coordinators' caseloads are under 100, which allows them to meet one-on-one with students.
But, remember, TRIO is not just Student Support Services. Michelle Ramirez runs Elgin’s SSS program, and says their college offers two other TRIO programs that serve another 634 students.
“We have TRIO Upward Bound: it's designed to help high school students gain skills and succeed in high school and college," said Ramirez. "Then we have TRIO Talent Search transitions: it's designed to help middle school and high school students."
Of the three Illinois grants canceled, the Council for Opportunity in Education says one was for Student Support Services, one was Upward Bound, and the other was a Talent Search program
Sam Sutton says TRIO has changed her life.
“Originally, I was just going to do the two year-degree and go into the workforce," she said, "but with the help of TRIO, I have a lot of scholarship opportunities."
Sutton says they’ve helped her apply for scholarships, align transfer credits, and organized campus visits to shop around for the right four-year school. She says TRIO deserves a lot of credit for her success. Sutton’s become a sort of unofficial TRIO ambassador at Elgin.
“I feel glued to TRIO in the best way possible. I tell every student I meet about it," she said. "I carry their business cards in my wallet and in my backpack. Yes, I will give them out."
She says the federal cuts at other schools are really disappointing.
“It's just so heartbreaking," said Sutton, "because so many students lose out on that invaluable opportunity, and I don't think that's fair to them. Everybody should have the opportunity we have here. I mean, I'm a great student because of it."
President Trump’s 2026 budget proposal calls for eliminating TRIO completely.
