Students and staff attended TRIO Day at the New Mexico Legislature on Feb. 21, 2025. (Courtesy photo)
As Katrice Grant went through high school, college and graduate school, she participated in federally funded student support programs called TRIO, which introduced her to the idea of going to college in the first place.
The TRIO programs — described as ones “designed to identify and provide services for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds”— set Grant on the path for campus visits and academic scholarships that paid for part of her tuition while she studied psychology and Africana studies. TRIO advisors connected her to her community on campus and future opportunities; boosted her the confidence and organization to delve into research; and paid for her travel to a conference in Maryland where she received her first graduate school offer at Johns Hopkins University.
That education allowed Grant to work as a K-12 school counselor for about 12 years in Virginia, Dubai, Albuquerque and Bernalillo…