Paths to Success
TRIO program puts higher education in the sights of Idaho State students
The McNair Scholars program, one of Idaho State University TRIO’s newest programs, is designed to help students in underrepresented populations, achieve success in graduate school.
Students are chosen for the program based on their academic achievement — they must be on the pathway to graduate school and strongly considering a doctoral degree. To qualify, students must also be first-generation college students, meaning neither parent attended college, and have limited income, or be a member of a population that is currently underrepresented in graduate education.
Through the program, students work with a faculty research mentor, and receive a paid summer research internship. They also receive support when applying for graduate schools, and the opportunity to present at local, national and international conferences as undergraduate students.
Here are the stories of two Bengals on the path to a Ph.D:
Joseph Do
Joseph Do’s family moved around quite a bit before finally settling in Rigby, Idaho when he was 12 years old.
“My mom was looking for a good place to settle down and raise a family,” Do said.
Coming to small-town Idaho at age 12 wasn’t easy, Do said, but he was driven. He knew he wanted to attend college, and sought out resources to help him achieve his goals.
He began taking dual-credit classes at Idaho State when he was in high school.
“It was a cheap way to jump-start college,” Do said.
It was also during high school that Do discovered Bengal Bridge, a Trio program that offers lower-cost credits, academic coaches and the opportunity to ease into college life. Through the program, Do was able to spend the summer on campus, take summer courses, and receive assistance navigating through tasks like registering for classes, handling financial aid and locating on-campus resources.
Do is now a double major in psychology and biology, and is one of a cohort of McNair Scholars, high-achieving first-generation, low income or underrepresented students who are on a path to a doctoral degree.
The McNair program urges students to find research mentors. Do was able to do research in the Department of Psychology with professor and chair Erin Rasmussen, studying food insecurity and obesity. Working with his mentor and graduate students, Do was able to work recruiting participants, interviewing study subjects and collecting data. He was also given the opportunity to work on preparing a paper to be published.
“We basically worked as a team,” he said. “The McNair program creates good connections.”
The experience has been life-changing, Do said.
“My passions have expanded,” he said, “I want to work to help people. The McNair program helps people decide what they want to do.”
Selene Ortiz
After her first semester at Idaho State, Selene Ortiz was done. She had begun school nervous, and, as a first-generation college student, she didn’t know who to ask about things like navigating financial aid, registration or getting help with classes.
“I remember crying because I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life,” Ortiz said.
So she left, moving to Mexico to care for her 90-year-old grandmother. When she returned home to Idaho, she began work in a warehouse.
Her parents were not ready for her to give up, however. Although they only have an elementary-school education, seeing their children go on to college was a priority. One day, her dad, a farm worker, brought her his entire paycheck to pay her first semester tuition. Ortiz came back to school with a new outlook.
“My dad has always said, ‘I can’t give you a lot of money, I can’t give you a fancy house. What I can give you is an education,’” she said. “My parents have sacrificed so much for me.”
When Ortiz returned, she was able to receive help from the ISU TRIO program, helping her find scholarships. When she struggled handling both school and her job on a potato farm, TRIO counselors showed her a paid internship researching water rights in her home community of Aberdeen. She applied and got the position.
Through TRIO and the Bengal Bridge program, she was able to co-teach classes to new students, helping them navigate through financial aid, classes, and everything they needed to know to become a Bengal.
“I was given the opportunity to help others learn,” she said. “Being able to help others made a huge difference for me.”
When she wanted to study abroad, TRIO counselors helped her find the Gilman Scholarship, a highly competitive grant to study abroad. Ortiz earned the grant, and in spring 2018 she was able to study in Valencia, Spain.
Now, she is part of the second cohort of the McNair Scholars program. Through the program, she was able to conduct research on opinions and knowledge of opioid abuse in Latino populations, and research on Spanish literature. The experiences, she said, have been eye-opening.
“It opens doors for you, and teaches you to value research. A lot of the research I’ve done has shaped what I want to do with my life,” she said.
Ortiz is graduating in December with degrees in Spanish and global studies, with a minor in art. She is applying to several graduate schools, including Texas A and M, Notre Dame and Georgetown University. She hopes to earn her Ph.D. and earn a faculty position at a university. She has never had a faculty mentor who is a first-generation Latino graduate, and she wants to be able to provide that support for another generation. Having a role model who is like you can make a huge difference, Ortiz said.
“I really would love to teach,” she said. “I want to help others learn.”
“My dad has always said, ‘I can’t give you a lot of money, I can’t give you a fancy house. What I can give you is an education,’” she said. “My parents have sacrificed so much for me.”