UD's Taria Pritchett selected as a TRIO Achiever

Taria Pritchett, a senior English education major at the University of Delaware, was selected as a TRIO Achiever at the Mid-Eastern Association of Educational Opportunity Program Personnel (MEAEOPP) annual conference held March 27 in Arlington, Va.

Pritchett was named the TRIO Achiever award recipient for Delaware. She is a UD resident assistant and a member of the ASPIRE, UD TRIO-Student Support Services and Ronald E. McNair Scholars programs.

Melva Ware, director of the Delaware Center for Teacher Education, and Cheryl Davis-Robinson, director of UD Student Support Services, attended the TRIO Achievers banquet, along with Pritchett's mother, Merrie Pritchett.

Pritchett said she was "honored and humbled" to be the MEAEOPP TRIO Achiever award recipient for Delaware. "TRIO has helped me grow as a student both academically and professionally," she said. "This award has signified to me that hard work pays off on the student's end, and support helps students achieve their goals on TRIO's end. I am very grateful for TRIO's support during my time at UD."

In her acceptance speech, Pritchett praised the work of those in the UD programs whose guidance has led to her being accepted as a graduate student by both the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Maryland College Park.

"I have been deeply moved and impacted by the work that both of these programs have had on my life," she said.

Pritchett thanked Davis-Robinson of Student Support Services, Kimberly Saunders and Tiffany McDonald of the McNair Scholars Program, her mentor Ware, and her mother.

"In honor of the mentorship, guidance, and role modeling I have received I feel a commitment to reach back, and give to those who have given so much to me," Pritchett said. " My career aspirations reflect my passion, but it also reflects my sincere appreciation for TRIO programs, which helped shape me into the woman I am today.

"Selecting a career as a teacher allows me this opportunity. I plan on devoting my life to helping out students, families, and communities. What I know for sure is that TRIO made a difference in my life. Now I can make a difference in someone else's."

Of the honor bestowed on Pritchett, Davis-Robinson said, "Taria is an extraordinary and talented young woman whose future is limitless. For Taria to be selected as the Delaware TRIO Achiever is an honor she very much deserves."

UD marked National TRIO Day in late February with "Imagine U" activities and workshops coordinated by the University's TRIO programs -- Classic Upward Bound, Upward Bound Math Science, Student Support Services and the McNair Scholars Program.

The federal TRIO programs are 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 as they progress through the academic pipeline from middle school to postbaccalaureate programs.

"National TRIO Day was a celebratory event from beginning to end, and a huge success," Davis-Robinson said. "To be able to expose the younger generations within our communities to college, providing them with educational enrichment, is truly paramount. TRIO has a number of priorities, among them to promote opportunities for achieving academic success. Indeed, this was accomplished during National TRIO Day. Clearly dreams can come true at the University of Delaware."