Join SSS with TRiO Gives Back...

Do You Know YOU Are A TRiO Student???

(source: http://www.coenet.us)

I’m sure you’ve seen TRiO signs, like the one posted above, around the SSS office and on our website, but do you know what that really means?? Likewise, you know that you’re a member of SSS, but did you know that you’re actually part of TRiO as well? Unless you were also a part of the Upward Bound program as well, you may not have. The information below, taken from its webpage, details what exactly TRiO is and the opportunities it provides for the students it serves.

TRiO is a nationwide, federally-funded organization of projects committed to providing educational opportunity for all Americans regardless of race, ethnic background or economic circumstance.

TRiO programs are designed to help low-income and first-generation Americans enter college, graduate and move on to participate more fully in America's economic and social life. TRiO projects are funded under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 and are the TRiO Programs because there were initially three (TRiO Educational Talent Search, TRiO Upward Bound, and TRiO Student Support Services). While student financial aid helps students overcome financial barriers to higher education, TRiO programs help students overcome class, social and cultural barriers to higher education.

Who is Served

More than 2,700 TRiO Programs currently serve nearly 866,000 low-income Americans nationwide. Many programs serve students in grades six through 12; other programs serve current college students. Twenty-two thousand students with disabilities and more than 25,000 U.S. veterans are currently enrolled in the TRIO Programs.

Evidence of Achievement

Students in the Upward Bound program are four times more likely to earn an undergraduate degree than those students from similar backgrounds who did not participate in TRIO. Students in the TRIO Student Support Services program are more than twice as likely to remain in college as students from similar backgrounds who did not participate in the program.

If you would like any more information or are maybe even interested in getting involved with TRiO, stop by the office and ask one of our mentors or full-time staff!

STRESSED OUT??!!

How can you manage your stress?  Here are a few suggestions to help get you through:

Avoid stressful situations: Give yourself a break, if only for a few moments daily.

Change how you react to stress: Focus on one troublesome thing and manage your reactions to him/her/it. It is advisable to do this in moderation, in order to see what method does and does not work for you.

Avoid extremes: Why hate when a little dislike will do? Why generate anxiety when you can be nervous? Why rage when anger will do the job? Why be depressed when you can just be sad?

Set priorities: Don’t overwhelm yourself by fretting about your entire workload. Handle each task as it comes, or selectively deal with matters in some priority.

Set realistic goals: Reduce the number of events going on in your life and you will be able to focus more of your time on what needs to get done.

Take control of the situation: Look around and see if there really is something you can change or control in the situation.

Manage how stress affects you: This is a long range strategy of adapting your situation, and the effects of stress in your life. Try to isolate and work with one “effect” at a time. Don’t overwhelm yourself.

Discover new relaxation techniques: Learn how to best relax yourself. Meditation and breathing exercises have been proven to be very effective in controlling stress. Practice clearing your mind of disturbing thoughts.

Change how you see the situation: Stress is a reaction to events and problems, and you can lock yourself in to one way of reviewing your situation. Seek an outside perspective of the situation, compare it with yours and perhaps lessen your reaction to these conditions.

Figure out what’s most important: Don’t sweat the small stuff. Try to prioritize a few truly important things and let the rest of the details sit on the back burner.

Sleep: A lack of rest just aggravates stress.

Exercise: Work off your stress with physical activity, whether it’s jogging, tennis, or gardening.

Favorite classes and creating a schedule...

When I create my schedule, I look at all the classes I still have to take. Once I figure out what I want to take, I see what times the class is offered and write them down. After I get all my classes wrote down with all the times they are offered, I start to see what it looks like on Microsoft Excel so I don’t overlap classes. This gives me a visual of what my week will look like. I try to find the classes that don’t have class on Fridays, so I can have an extra day off during the week to get caught up on homework, projects, and studying before the weekend gets here.

My favorite classes would have to be Literature for Elementary School, Preschool and Elementary Nutrition Education, Child Development, and Classroom Behavioral Management.  I enjoyed these classes because of the teachers that I had.  They knew how to get the students engaged and involved and want to learn more from that class.  For example, in Literature for Elementary School, I had Dr. McCall for my teacher, and for one of the in class assignments, she read us a book while we filled out the worksheet.  Also, this class we were able to read children books and brought back the memories of my parents reading books to me when I was younger.  The teacher can make any class fun to be in by the way they present things.  If you like a teacher for one class, see if they teach other classes and get into them so you know you will enjoy the class.

 If you need any help creating a class schedule, looking up instructors, or help with your degree audit, visit the SSS office!  Any of the student mentors can help you with your schedule and would be more than happy to help!

Good luck!