Low-income, first-generation college students gather in Nashua for higher ed help

NASHUA – Michael Vidal is dedicated to helping high school and college students realize their potential. Vidal, a graduate student in social justice education at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, hopes to one day work with students, schools and policymakers to help low-income and first-generation college students navigate the college application and financial aid process and to succeed in degree programs. It’s a struggle that he knows well. Vidal, a Nashua High School South graduate, was a first-generation college student himself. And if it hadn’t been for the support he received from a federal TRIO program, he might not be on the path he is today. “The finances, that struggle, is a reality,” he said. Vidal is one of hundreds of students around the country who benefit from TRIO programs, which support low-income and first-generation students in gaining access to higher education. The name TRIO was coined in the 1960s, when there were only three services under the federal program’s umbrella. The program has since expanded and includes Upward Bound programs for high school students, which help students succeed in high school and to enter postsecondary degree programs, student support services on college campuses and other services. On Friday, about 600 students from around the Northeast who participate in a TRIO program converged on the Radisson Hotel in Nashua, participating in college access workshops, a college fair and panel discussions with TRIO alumni as part of National TRIO Day.