Students with limited resources but high aspirations learned and celebrated together at Nebraska TRiO Day 2008 – Youth Choices TRiO Voices. The AIM Institute, in partnership with the University of Nebraska at Omaha, hosted the event on February 16th at UNO’s Milo Bail Student Center. The day provided an opportunity to motivate, support and celebrate the accomplishments of the state's TRiO students from the middle school through college level.
At Right: Lt. Gov. Rick Sheehy; AIM President/CEO Kandace Miller; Tiffany Mewes-Dunn, Pre-College TRiO Achiever; Mona Sorouri, Alumnus TRiO Achiever; Wei Lui, Post-Secondary TRiO Achiever; and UNO Chancellor John Christensen.
Funded by the U.S. Department of Education, TRiO programs are educational opportunity outreach programs designed to motivate and provide academic and college awareness support to students. TRiO programs assist limited-income, first-generation college students and students with disabilities to progress through the academic pipeline from middle school to post-baccalaureate programs. Nebraska TRiO programs support over 8,216 students statewide.
More than 360 students and staff registered for the all-day event. Special guests included Sen. Ben Nelson, Rep. Lee Terry, UNO Chancellor John Christensen, and AIM Institute President and CEO Kandace Miller.
 TRiO students, who aspire to attend college and become contributing members of society, interacted with their peers and heard from Nebraska leaders. They also selected breakout sessions to learn how to be a successful college student, where to apply for scholarships, how to be a peer mentor, and to participate in leadership and college-oriented games. Students could also attend sessions on how to use the AIM Institutes’ Careerlink.com to conduct job searches and its Virtual Career Center to explore and learn how to prepare for career opportunities. 
Students' Comments
Here are just a few of the students' comments about what they learned at TRiO Day:
"When I do find that career choice or college, I know how to get prepared and what to look for."
"Make the most out of college. You are paying for it."
"I learned things I need to know and accept to be successful."
"I learned the importance of becoming more involved in the community."
"Filling out a job resume and searching for a career that works for you is important."
The AIM Institute manages six TRiO programs at the middle school, high school, and college level as part of its ongoing effort to build a better regional workforce while helping young people maximize their potential.
For more information please visit www.nebraskatrio.aiminstitute.org
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