The Marshalltown Community School District board on Sept. 2 unanimously approved overnight field trip requests from the district’s TRIO Talent Search and Upward Bound programs and heard a recent graduate describe how the programs helped him navigate college applications.

The board voted 7-0 to approve the trips, which include a leadership conference in Minnesota for five students, a TRIO-specific visit day at the University of Northern Iowa and a college-visit trip to Omaha that will include Iowa Western Community College and potentially Creighton University or the University of Nebraska Omaha.

The board heard a recorded testimonial and a live statement from Lehi Paul, a 2025 graduate and former Talent Search participant now attending Case Western Reserve University. “As a first generation college student, the college process was very unfamiliar to me. But through TRIO, I was able to understand important steps like applying for a FAFSA, learning about the timeline of the college process,” Paul told the board.

District staff described the trips as part of TRIO’s precollege work to expose middle and high school students to postsecondary options and on-campus TRIO services. The board chair asked whether Creighton or the University of Nebraska Omaha would participate; staff said they were coordinating with colleges and would confirm based on availability.

There was no public opposition recorded during the meeting. The board took the action during the agenda item labeled for TRIO requests and moved directly to the vote after brief questions about participating colleges.

The board’s approval allows district TRIO staff to finalize trip logistics; no additional funding source or dollar amount was specified at the meeting.