El Paso Community College (EPCC) has landed a hefty federal grant aimed at supporting students who often face the steepest climb toward academic success. The $3.679 million infusion from the Department of Education is an initiative under the TRIO Student Support Services Program (SSSP), and this cash injection is not just any funding; it’s specifically to help low-income students, those who are venturing where no family member has gone before, and individuals living with disabilities.
Over the course of its competitive five-year grant, EPCC will continue a legacy that’s spanned four decades, having supported over 24,000 students since 1985 to not just drag but elevate them across the graduation stage, and beyond, launching into fulfilling careers; at least that’s how EPCC frames its mission. What’s clear is the grant will fuel services like tutoring and financial aid assistance, but it’s more; it’s mentorship, career advice, and a bolstering of both financial and academic muscles through personalized guidance. “Joining this program has helped me a lot with my journey at EPCC,” Jesus Flores, an EPCC student, told EPCC News. “Because of SSSP, I have been a successful student, learning through their program and connecting with the tutors on guidance and advice.”
The grant means not just continuity but a deepening of EPCC’s pledge to make sure every student gets a fair shake, a point driven home by Lucia Rodriguez, Director of the Office of Student Success. The numbers give credence; for instance, the rigors of a 2019 U.S. Department of Education evaluation revealed that SSSP-attached students at two-year institutions had a 48% higher likelihood to stack an associate’s degree or leap to a four-year university, compared with their non-SSSP matriculated peers…