Saturday, May 17, 2025

Action Needed: Your Kokua, or Pau, No More TRiO

 Aloha TRiO SSS and Paipai,

We need your kokua — right now.

The presidential budget for FY 2026/2027 proposes the complete elimination of all TRiO programs.

As WCC TRiO SSS alumni and current participants, you know firsthand the impact these programs have, and we have to let our congressional representatives and senators know that we want them to support all TRiO programs.

Reaching out to your congressional members is powerful because they're elected to represent your voice and concerns. When many people speak up, it shows that an issue—like saving TRiO—matters deeply to the community. Sharing your personal experience as a TRIO alum or current participant helps make the impact of these programs real and urgent. 

We need everyone to contact their representative and your senator to ensure the message of support for TRiO is heard on both sides of Congress, the Senate and the House. This increases the chances of meaningful action. Your messages can help ensure TRiO funding is spared.

How can you kokua? 

1. Email both Senator Shatz (click here) and Senator Hirono (click here). Senators represent the entire state. We have a premade message below you can copy and paste. 

For those of you on the mainland, you can find who your Senators and Representatives are by clicking Find Your Senator/Representative  and typing in your address. It is important that we get this message to as many members of congress as possible.

2. Email your representative. In Hawaii, it's either Representative Case (click here) or Representative Tokuda (click here), depending on where you live. To find out who your representative is, click here and type in your address: Find Your Representative. 

3. If you're an alumni of WCC TRiO SSS, please join the National TRiO Support effort by signing the national #ProtectTRIO letter to congress by clicking this link TRIO Alumni Sign-On Letter. The deadline is next Friday, May 23, 2025.  

4. Kokua your story of how WCC TRiO SSS helped you or is helping you with video testimony. WCC media and UH System will be making informational videos using sound bites of your story. In addition, we will be posting your full story on a YouTube Channel so we can show our congressional delegation real people and stories of how WCC TRiO SSS has helped and is helping students in order to gain their support. The totality of all your stories will make a major impact on them.

If you can stop by TRiO SSS, we can video you. If you are on the neighbor island, mainland or can't come to TRiO SSS, email (royinouy@hawaii.edu) or call Roy (808-235-7448) and we'll set up a Zoom session.

 5. Let your Hawaii congressional members know your concern and support through their social media accounts below (for those on the mainland, social media information is on their website — Find Your Senator/Representative).

 

Senator: Mazie Hirono (contact both senators)

Senator: Brian Schatz (contact both senators)

1st District Rep: Ed Case

2nd District Rep: Jill Tokuda

 

Premade Email Messages:

Below are templates for WCC TRiO SSS Alumni, Current Participants, and Family and Friends to ask Congress to support TRiO.

There are placeholders meant for you to fill in with your own details, such as your name, city, state, or personal connection to TRIO. Delete all the parts where there's question marks and fill in with your own info. If you don't have info. for that part of the message, just delete it. 

 

For Alumni of WCC TRiO SSS (replace sections between the ???question marks???: 1. name; 2. year to year, 3. name all institutions; 4. profession, city, state; and 5. brief struggle/program impact): 

My name is ???FuLlNaMe???, and from ???YeAr??? to ???YeAr???, I participated in TRiO Student Support Services which serves low-income, first generation, and/or disabled students. It is one of the Federal TRiO Programs, at Windward Community College. I graduated from ??? NaMe AlL InStITuTiOnS??? and work as a ???PrOfEsSiOn??? in ???CiTy, StAtE???. Without TRiO SSS, I would not be where I am today. A proposal has recently been made to eliminate TRIO. As a program alum and constituent, I urge you to reject that proposal and protect TRiO funding in FY26 and beyond.

Having faced many obstacles growing up, I never believed college was for me until TRiO SSS provided the tutoring, mentorship, and emotional support I needed to succeed. ???BRIEF STRUGGLE AND PROGRAM IMPACT—e.g., "While juggling work and classes, the program gave me tutoring, mentorship, and help in obtaining scholarships."???

Thousands of students like me depend on TRiO. Please fight to preserve this life-changing program— you can read success stories from my TRiO SSS program here.

Lastly, please consider signing on to the Congressional TRiO Caucus if you haven't already.

Thank you for your support of education and the opportunity for all students. I appreciate your attention to this matter and look forward to your support in protecting TRiO programs.

 

For Current WCC TRiO SSS Participants (replace sections between the ???question marks???: 1. name, and 2. brief struggle/program impact):

My name is ???FuLlNaMe???, and I am currently a participant in the Federal TRiO Student Support Services program which serves low-income, first-generation, and/or disabled students at Windward Community College. Without TRiO SSS, I would not be where I am today. A proposal has recently been made to eliminate TRIO. As a program participant and constituent, I urge you to reject that proposal and protect TRiO funding in FY26 and beyond.

Having faced many obstacles growing up, I never believed college was for me until TRiO SSS provided the tutoring, mentorship, and emotional support I needed to succeed. ???BRIEF STRUGGLE AND PROGRAM IMPACT—e.g., "While juggling work and classes, the program gave me tutoring, mentorship, and help in obtaining scholarships."???

Thousands of students like me depend on TRiO. Please fight to preserve this life-changing program— you can read success stories from my TRiO SSS program here.

Lastly, please consider signing on to the Congressional TRiO Caucus if you haven't already.

Thank you for your support of education and the opportunity for all students. I appreciate your attention to this matter and look forward to your support in protecting TRiO programs.

 

For Family and Friends (replace Hawai‘i with your state if necessary in first sentence and at the end of paragraph 2): 

I am reaching out as a constituent and proud advocate for the Federal TRiO Programs, which serve thousands of students across Hawai‘i by providing academic, financial, and personal support.

Recently, the White House proposed eliminating the TRiO programs in FY26, stating that college access is no longer a barrier for low-income students and that the responsibility for supporting low-income students should rest with institutions of higher education, not the federal government. However, the most recent data from the U.S. Census bureau demonstrates that students from the highest income families are four times more likely to earn college degrees than students from the lowest-income families. Furthermore, not every institution has the resources to absorb the cost for providing such services. Therefore, as a constituent I ask that you reject the Administration's proposal to eliminate TRiO and work to ensure these vital education programs are funded at the highest possible level in FY26. Thank you again for your support of low-income, first-generation, and/or disabled students in Hawai‘i.



a BIG MAHALO for your support...

roy



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