KINGSVILLE (Feb. 28, 2026) — The 2026 National TRIO Day was a notable one for Texas A&M University-Kingsville (TAMUK) as its programs celebrated their 60th year during a celebration that brought more than 200 high school students from Kingsville, Robstown, Premont, San Diego and Corpus Christi to the JK Northway Exposition Center on Saturday morning.
The Federal TRIO Programs (TRIO) are Federal outreach and student services programs designed to identify and provide services for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds. TRIO includes eight programs targeted to serve and assist low-income individuals, first-generation college students, and individuals with disabilities to progress through the academic pipeline from middle school to postbaccalaureate programs.
TAMUK is one of the only universities in the nation to host all eight programs and has utilized TRIO since 1966.
“Today we get to celebrate all of the TRIO programs here at TAMUK,” said Dr. Maria Martinez, Texas A&M-Kingsville’s Vice President for Student Access. “We’re celebrating programs that began in 1966, so it’s a big deal for us because we serve the entire Coastal Bend all the way down to the tip of Texas. We serve a huge region, with about 5,200 participants.
“TRIO programs are designed to help students with their academic, career and personal goals,” Martinez said. “That’s why we’re super proud of the fact that since 1966 here at TAMUK, we’ve gotten to help generations and generations of students.”
High school programs include Talent Search, Upward Bound & Upward Bound Rural, and Upward Bound Math and Science (UBMS & UBMS-Rural).
“TRIO talent Search has helped me with so many things,” said Trustea Davila, a junior from San Diego High School. “I’ve been able to explore new colleges. I’ve been able to explore different resources, and it’s helped a lot with searching for colleges. TRI” has been able to help me go to places that I would not have ever imagined going. I’ve viewed colleges from the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and they’re very interesting. I’m not sure if I would have ever been able to see them if not for the TRIO program.”
College students benefit from Student Support Services, Student Support Services STEM (SSS-STEM), and the McNair Scholars Program.
“The SSS-STEM program helped me see what opportunities are out there and not just in Kingsville,” said Justin Calderon, a Weslaco native and senior chemical engineering major at TAMUK.” They helped me apply to the master’s program, which I’ll hopefully be starting this Fall semester. The program also does a lot of workshops that talk about stuff outside of school. One is about credit cards and that’s not something we really get taught at the university if you’re not in those specific classes. It’s stuff that can help you post graduating.”
For adults and veterans, resources are available through Educational Opportunity Centers (EOC) & EOC-Rural) and Veterans Upward Bound.
Saturday’s celebration included a National TRIO Day Proclamation by Kingsville Mayor Sam Fugate, a speech from keynote Speaker Rudy Trevino, professor of practice at Texas A&M-Kingsville and host of KIII-TV’s Domingo Live! and testimonials from several TRIO program students in high school and college about what the TRIO programs mean to them.
“When you look across the aisles here, the chairs and the tables, you see our future,” Trevino said of his experience speaking to Saturday’s crowd. “These are young students with open minds, with an incredible intelligence and who want to move forward and do something that they themselves can leave an impression on for others to find. This is not just the next generation; it’s the generations to follow.”
“It’s wonderful to know that programs such as TRIO have helped these students who would otherwise go on into the future blindly,” Trevino added. “They’re getting a helping hand and not a handout, but a hand up. Because TRIO’s purpose is to do just that — help students open the door and show them the way through.”
The day closed with TRIO Fun Fest, where students were able to unwind with games, inflatables, and door prizes.
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