Students from TJC’s TRIO program experienced an up-close look at several educational and cultural sites during a recent field trip to Little Rock, Arkansas, and Memphis, Tennessee.
In Little Rock, the group visited the University of Arkansas-Little Rock, where they toured the campus and learned about the institution’s transfer process.
They also visited the historic Little Rock Central High School, which, in 1957, was the epicenter of racial confrontation and a catalyst for change as the fundamental test for the United States to enforce African American civil rights following Brown v. Board of Education.
The group then continued to Memphis, where they visited the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel, the site of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination. They also toured Sun Records and Graceland.
Funded through a federal grant from the U.S. Department of Education, the TJC TRIO program offers a wide variety of free services to first-generation, low-income or disabled students. At no cost to students, TRIO provides assistance with study skills, tutoring, time management, career planning and financial literacy as well as helping to ease the transfer process to four-year universities. Other perks of the program include free document printing and Scantron test forms.
“In addition to the support services on campus, we also provide free enrichment activities every semester, to expand our TRIO students’ college experience and provide them with educational and travel opportunities they might never have experienced before,” said Zachary Camp, TJC TRIO program coordinator.
Hayden Eason
“I had never seen the Mississippi River, so my favorite part of the trip was seeing the scenery around Little Rock and Memphis,” said Hayden Eason, a TJC sophomore general science major from Tyler. He hopes to eventually attend the UT Tyler School of Medicine and ultimately be a thoracic or trauma surgeon.
Lesly Bracely II, a sophomore finance major from Dallas, said, “I liked seeing Martin Luther King hotel room and how they had kept it exactly as it was that day. When you’re growing up and people are just telling you about it, it’s one thing; but when you’re in the place where it actually happened, it hits you that someone actually died here and it’s a real event.”
Bracely eventually plans to transfer to the University of Arkansas.
“My dad loves that school, and my mom never had a chance to a university, so I feel like I can bridge that gap so everyone can experience it,” he said.
Bracely and Eason agree that TJC’s TRIO program has made a positive difference in their academic journey.
Lesly Bracely II
“They are very, very kind people. Every single one of them,” Bracely said of the TRIO staff. “They provide lots of help with tutoring on my essays and with career and transfer advisement.”
Eason added, “TRIO has been a really big support system and helped me navigate what classes I should take and how to plan for my future. We’re able to build a lot more rapport with the TRIO advisors and get to know each other better. They really get to know our passions, goals and interests.”
For more information or to apply to the TJC TRIO program, go to TJC.edu/TRIO or email the program coordinator directly at Zachary.Camp@tjc.edu.