Please join University College staff in congratulating Assistant Director Dr. Shatoya Black on being named president-elect of Illinois’ TRIO chapter.
Black was sworn in as president-elect in November 2021 and will officially be sworn in as president November 2022 to assume duties as president in 2023. Her duties as president will include serving as chairperson of membership and credentials and professional development committees, as well as chapter delegate to the Educational Opportunity Association board of directors. As president-elect she currently serves as the chair of the Student Leadership Conference for both the state chapter and Education Opportunity Association (EOA). Black is excited that the Illinois TRIO Student Leadership Conference will be hosted at Illinois State University in June 2022 and looks forward to the state chapter being a part of Illinois State’s campus.
University College TRIO/Student Support Service (SSS) is a federally funded program that began in 1968. It is one of the eight federal TRIO programs authorized by the Higher Education Act to help first-generation college students access, navigate, and succeed in higher education. “Illinois State’s TRIO/SSS program recognizes the wealth that first-generation students bring to the campus community and walks alongside them as they use their social and cultural capital to achieve optimal personal and academic success,” says Black. The U.S. Department of Education identifies first-generation students as those whose parents did not obtain a four-year college degree.
