“I think success is about where you’re going and who you’re becoming,” said motivational speaker Odell Bizzell at an event held by Student Support Services last Wednesday.
Student Support Services, or TRIO, is a program that mostly assists students who are first-generation, have a documented disability or have a low-income base. However, TRIO supports all students, regardless of their situation.
Bizzell spoke to students o on the topic of ‘Refusing to Lose.’ Bizzell began speaking 16 years ago at community colleges. “If you’re a student and you’re in school going towards a degree, that’s success, as long as you’re going towards it,” Bizzell said.
Shantel Barginere, director of Student Support Services, has been working with the TRIO program for 13 years and encourages students to utilize the helpful resources that are available for them.
“It feels like a hidden jewel on campus because a lot of people don’t know about us,” Barginere said.“I love it, and there’s a lot of opportunities that open up a lot of resources for students.”
Barginere shared one big takeaway from Bizzell that she hopes students remember throughout their careers.
“I want them to refuse to lose, always be engaged and know their purpose.”
Amber Steen, a senior majoring in social work from Brewton, Alabama, attended the event and was the lucky winner of a hundred dollars given away by Bizzell.
Steen expressed some helpful tactics she took away from Bizzell’s presentation on how to succeed.
“I think now-adays people are so used to scrolling and not paying attention,” Steen said.
“Garbage in, garbage out is so true, but I liked his twist on gold in, gold out because you also have to be taking in the positive.”
The first freshmen workshop of the semester held last Thursday.
Project advisor Mackenzie Taylor played host to the workshop for new freshmen to learn more about the program and provide some insightful tips on how to utilize the resources on Troy’s campus.
“We’re here to help them through college and bridge the gap between high school and college life,” Taylor said.
Taylor shared how the goal of these workshops is to help teach freshmen how to adapt to the college world, especially those who have no prior knowledge of what to expect.
“Because a lot of the students in our program are first generation students, they don’t necessarily have the support at home to help them with this process,” Taylor said.
“We’re really trying to touch basis with them while they need us the most because after your freshman year, you get the hang of things.”
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