Karen Winfree of Fairfield is a nontraditional student who is now a junior at Thomas College.

As Kennebec Valley Community College’s 2025 Student of the Year, I show how TRIO opens doors of opportunity and hope for nontraditional students across Maine. As a nontraditional student, I know firsthand the difference TRIO makes.

TRIO, named for the combining of three federally funded programs — now expanded to six — provides tutoring, mentoring, counseling and guidance to help disadvantaged students succeed academically.

At Kennebec Valley Community College, TRIO Support Services guided me before my first semester with workshops that helped me relearn how to be a student. TRIO taught me new technology and refreshed my study habits. I learned about balancing school, family and work and gained the confidence to seek help.

TRIO support helped transform my potential into success. Returning to college later in life is increasingly common, especially in Maine, having the oldest population in the nation. The number of nontraditional students is steadily rising across the country as well, as people live active lives longer. Many of us must update our skills to remain competitive in a rapidly changing economy; education is the key to our marketability.

For students like me, TRIO provided daily mentorship from an assigned mentor and connected me to resources like tutors for math and technical projects. They offered counseling and workshops on everything from financial aid to stress management and, most importantly, TRIO fosters a sense of community for those of us who don’t fit the mold of “traditional” students.

TRIO has consistently proven to be a successful program. In Maine alone, TRIO serves
thousands of students each year, providing tutoring, mentoring and guidance that directly
improve retention rates. Nationally, TRIO reaches over 880,000 students from middle school
through college, according to the Council for Opportunity in Education.

I was accepted into the TRIO program at Thomas College, but when it lost funding, I was
unable to participate. That loss underscored how fragile these opportunities are and how
devastating it is when support disappears. For some students, the difference between thriving and struggling can come down to whether TRIO is available on campus.

Funding TRIO is not just about helping students; it’s also about investing in Maine’s workforce. TRIO ensures that nontraditional students — parents, veterans and career changers — have the tools to succeed. Cutting TRIO funding not only harms individuals but also weakens our state’s ability to adapt to the demands of the modern labor market.

Congress and Maine’s leaders must fight to protect and expand TRIO programs, a lifeline for nontraditional students. As Roll Call reported in June, TRIO cuts have emerged as a contentious issue in federal budget negotiations. The future of our workforce depends on ensuring that nontraditional students — the fastest‑growing segment of higher education — can succeed. I stand as living proof that when given support, nontraditional students can achieve excellence and strengthen Maine’s future.