Media Releases
Student Earns Bruce Vento Minnesota TRiO Scholarship
April 27, 2007 -
Rosemount, MN - Sahara Dekow, a DCTC TRiO Student Support Services (SSS) student, is the recipient of the 2007 Bruce Vento Minnesota TRiO Scholarship.
Sahara was one of three students in the state of Minnesota to receive the $800 scholarship. She received the award on April 21 at the Annual TRiO Day at Harding High School in St. Paul.
Never having graduated high school in the United States, Sahara earned her GED last fall through another TRiO program, Equal Opportunity Centers (EOC) at Ronald Hubbs Center in St. Paul. While she was completing her GED, she was taking two classes at DCTC and gave birth to a baby girl.
With a new daughter, Sahara kept her goal of a higher education in mind and enrolled in college with the dream of providing a better future for her family. Having benefited greatly from EOC, she immediately sought out the TRiO/SSS office upon starting at DCTC.
Though English is her third language behind Somali and Swahili, she has maintained her grades while working towards her LPN degree at DCTC and works part-time as a Nursing Assistant. And, like many TRiO students, Sahara credits much of her success to TRiO.
"I have made use of the programs and I will be more involved as time goes on. I am really happy how the advice I have received from TRiO advisors impacted my life as a first generation college student in my first year of college," said Sahara.
The federal TRiO programs are educational opportunity outreach programs designed to motivate and support students from underrepresented and disadvantaged backgrounds.
Student Support Services is once of several programs that assists students through their higher education experience, and one of two TRiO programs at DCTC.
"Sahara is a perfect example of what TRiO programs are accomplishing. She began with EOC who helped her attain her GED and then helped her access higher education. Now she has the DCTC TRiO/SSS program to support her as she sets and accomplishes her personal and academic goals, opportunities that were not available to her in Somalia," said Joel Bisser, the advisor who recommended her for the scholarship.
Minnesota TRiO is the professional organization that represents personnel affiliated with TRiO programs throughout the state of Minnesota and awards three scholarships annually to high school seniors and college students who are in TRiO programs across the state.
To learn more about TRiO programs, visit http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/trio/index.html
For information on Minnesota TRiO, visit http://www.mntrio.org