Behind the Scenes: TRIO with Cameron Woodard

Cameron Woodard, the director of TRIO Programs at the university, has a special touch for helping, encouraging and cheering on students to reach their full potential. Through TRIO, Cameron has been able to impact students’ lives and pursue a lifelong passion for student success.

You are the director of TRIO programs here at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Can you talk about what this job entails?

TRIO is a set of programs that are all academic-based, offer tutoring services and additional resources and are open via application. We have several programs that fall under the TRIO umbrella.

The first program is Educational Talent Search, also known as ETS, which serves about 950 middle and high school students. ETS assists first-generation students in reaching their educational and personal goals. We recruit the students in their middle school years and prepare them for some of the things they will face in high school and get them to graduation. To do so, we have staff that meets with the students twice a year and we have events throughout the year to engage with our students in different areas such as financial literacy, well-being, community building and overcoming obstacles. ETS has been known to help those who have dropped out get back into their education. The program is instrumental in giving students high education opportunities here at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

The second program is called Upward Bound and Upward Bound Math & Science, which serves high school students in Lincoln Public School. Students meet with educational specialists weekly and the program itself is very focused on college readiness and preparedness. For example, we offer college tours, help writing college essays, tutoring and ACT and SAT prep. About 98% of graduating students end up coming to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, so we have a strong pipeline from the program all the way to the university. Overall, the program serves roughly 63 students, half of which are enrolled in Upward Bound, the other half in Upward Bound Math & Science.

The final program is Student Support Services or SSS. SSS assists college students who are matriculating here at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and are either low-income, have a documented disability or are first-generation. Many of the students come from either ETS or Upward Bound as we give these graduates first dibs on the seats available in SSS. We provide tutoring services (in all TRIO programs) for those who need help in academics, especially for students who are struggling academically and first-generation and low-income individuals. We try to pick tutors who students can identify with and feel comfortable approaching.

TRIO programs also work to make an impact out of the classroom, like having students attend cultural events. This year for spring break we took students to Puerto Rico for a cultural experience. Throughout the trip, we will be doing workshops and exploring Puerto Rican culture through food, theater and learning the history of Puerto Rico. Cultural experiences are one thing I am big on for students, specifically for those who haven’t had the opportunity to learn outside of their home state. I want students to know there is a world out there to learn about.

Where did the passion to work in higher education and assist students in achieving goals originate?

In my prior experience, I was a teacher. I taught 9th grade social studies and also ran a mentoring program working with young men at several high schools. I have also been a graduation coach, an academic counselor and a middle school teacher. I am a first-generation student, the first in my family to graduate from college. For me, I didn’t have the support that I think was needed. The institution I chose didn’t have TRIO; I didn’t know anything about it. All I knew is I wanted to be something more than I saw in my community; I knew I had more to give.

I ended up leaving K-12 and worked at a two-year college in Atlanta, Georgia as an academic counselor. There I learned more about TRIO and I found the goals and values of TRIO resonated with me and my values and how that level of support I wish I had. This program helps students to prevent making the same mistakes I made during undergrad, and I think that’s why I am so passionate about working in TRIO and working with first-generation students. I can see myself in the students. I know what it is like to navigate in different spaces. Sometimes imposter syndrome can kick in because students haven’t seen their parents succeed in college. This can create a space where students don’t feel like they belong, and I know how that is. I didn’t have the highest undergrad GPA, there were a lot of things in high school that prevented me from being as successful as I could have been. Through TRIO, I believe we can help students at any level to become better — to make better grades, go to better schools. I’m an overcomer myself and I believe in all my students, and I believe they can overcome any barriers that come their way and do great things in this world.

I’m so passionate about it because I know they can do it, because I did it.

You have worked in higher education for more than 15 years. What drew you to the opportunity of being the Director of TRIO Programs here at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln?

What drew me to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln is the opportunity to serve students, to serve first-generation, low-income and students with disabilities. That’s what brought me here. Because of my experience in K-12 and the years I’ve had in higher education, I knew I wanted to be a director. I knew I wanted to oversee my own TRIO programs. My supervisor at the time said “Cameron, you would be great,” and she began giving me the tools I needed to be a good director. My supervisor and the executive director sent me to training and connected me to working TRIO professionals. From there I decided this would be my career trajectory. I got a job as a director right in the middle of the pandemic and I was the only director with TRIO SSS experience and brought this experience to build the programs at a different institution. After about a year and a half, I knew I had done everything I could do at this institution and there was no room to move up and progress. I applied to several places, not limiting myself to just the South. The University of Nebraska was the place because they were interested in me, interested in all of my skill set. I didn’t feel pressure to be someone else; I brought my authentic self. I wanted to go somewhere that wanted me and the University of Nebraska gave me that opportunity.

Over the years, how have the resources and support made available to students evolved?

As TRIO professionals, we have to be creative. There are a lot of gray areas within federal regulations with what you can and can’t do. It took the pandemic for the federal government to see that there’s no way we can serve these students in a traditional sense. In terms of evolving, we are able to meet students where they are. A lot of the time we are face-to-face with students, but if we need to FaceTime a student or do a Zoom, we are now flexible enough to do that type of thing. The pandemic pushed us in that direction towards greater flexibility and the use of technology in TRIO. I know when I first started working in TRIO everything was paper, paper, paper. Now we can move towards digital forms and then create the physical files needed. We stay within compliance with the federal government all while finding productivity with technology.

Talk more about the role you and your TRIO team play in a student’s academic career. How do these programs impact a student’s life?

I didn’t have people to talk to me about college. When I was in high school, the top 10% would get all of the resources; they were the ones to get all the help. These students were learning about new and interesting things they can do with their lives.

With TRIO, there are no GPA or grade requirements. We take average, regular students and once we get a hold of them, they begin to excel because of the things we have to offer within our TRIO program, especially Upward Bound. Here students meet with their success coach every week, someone who knows you and your parents. So, I think the relationships that we build with our students and parents drive the students to do well and continue to excel. The experiences that we give them are very memorable. I remember last year I went to a senior banquet and the students were talking about their favorite memory while being in TRIO and a lot of the students were talking about staying in the dorms here at UNL. That’s one thing we do for our summer program — students get to live on campus and get the full experience of what it is like to take a class on campus: eating lunch on campus and being around other college students, visiting different departments and immersing themselves in the university.

Because of the pipeline, we are building from middle school to the university level, students get to know our staff and build relationships early.

It’s all about making memories and building lasting relationships. Our staff care about the students holistically, and we are genuine people who love what we do.

Is there a fun fact or anything people don’t know, or would be interested to know, about TRIO?

Most people think TRIO is an acronym for something, but it’s not. The federal government created the three programs (ETS, Upward Bound and SSS) in the mid 60s, which is where “TRIO” came from.

Is there a memory while working at UNL that has and will continue to stick with you?

I have a student who is an engineering major. When I first got here, I remember meeting him because he wanted to approach a specific conference (in TRIO, we have money set aside for conferences, study abroad experiences, etc). He came in and brought documentation and I got to know this student. He was able to go to the conference and after that, I started seeing him around TRIO. Every so often he would stop by to have conversations with me and discuss graduation. He was a first-generation student and very bright. He talked to me about wanting to pursue a PhD in engineering, specifically attending either Stanford or another school out of town. I got to thinking about how I could help, and who I knew, and remembered my mentor at Georgia Tech. I told the student to research historical black colleges and universities to diversify his resume and learn in different perspectives. I suggested Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University who produce great engineers and Georgia Tech based on my connection. I texted my mentor who mentioned a family day coming up for students looking to explore graduate degrees and get to know campus. The student came to realize that not only is Georgia Tech a top 5 school, but it also has a program for minority students. The student was able to attend the family day, build connections with my mentor and other professionals on campus. Overall, I was blown away that he pushed through the challenges and is potentially getting the opportunity to pursue an additional degree. For me, the best memories are meeting students and beginning to help and assist students right away. I’m so excited that I got to be a small part of this journey for him.

What advice would you give younger students who either come from under-served backgrounds, are first-generation scholars or have obstacles to overcome about succeeding in college and beyond?

Make meaningful connections with other students and faculty and staff. Find your people. Find your community — it could be in TRIO, OASIS, WHT, CAST or anything. Here at UNL, I think we do a good job at making a big university small for students. Building these connections will help you become the person you hope to become. Through these connections, sometimes students realize they should switch their major or try something new. At TRIO, we want you to be connected to a caring body of students or whoever. That way, when those barriers come, such as when first-generation students cannot call mom and ask what to do about failing class and having midterms, you can lean on these connections on campus.

Don’t be shy. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, especially in a safe space and TRIO is a safe space for our students.

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