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Pima’s TRIO programs tell Sunnyside board they expand college pathways; Talent Search funded for $2.5M over five years
Summary
Pima Community College representatives briefed the Sunnyside Unified School District board on TRIO programs—Talent Search, Upward Bound and Upward Bound Math & Science—highlighting a roughly $2.5 million, five-year Talent Search award serving hundreds of South Side students and plans to begin serving five feeder middle schools.
Pima Community College officials told the Sunnyside Unified School District board that long‑running TRIO programs are delivering measurable college‑access gains for South Side students and seek district permission to expand services into five feeder middle schools.
"Talent Search just entered our fourth grant year this semester," Pima presenter said, adding the Talent Search award is "about a $2,500,000 award over the 5 years" and is funded to serve 965 students across the Desert View and Sunnyside sites. The presenter said current active enrollment is about 715 students, with roughly 200 students graduating or exiting the program last year and a recruitment goal of about 250 additional students.
Why it matters: Talent Search and Upward Bound are federally funded TRIO grants designed to help first‑generation and low‑income students prepare for postsecondary education. District staff and the Pima team said the grants provide academic advising, tutoring, career exposure and college visits that supplement Sunnyside’s in‑school programming.
Pima staff described services and outcomes in detail: Talent Search provides year‑round tutoring, college trips, FAFSA and financial‑literacy workshops, and career‑and‑technical education exposures; Upward Bound offers intensive one‑on‑one counseling and a five‑week summer bridge at Pima that can include free college credits. Pima presenters cited multi‑year success rates—persistence, promotion and graduation metrics that they said are higher for program participants.
The college also highlighted a more recent Upward Bound Math and Science program, funded to serve 60 students, and a notable partnership with NASA that allowed students to submit prewritten questions to astronaut Jeanette Epps on the International Space Station. Student questions about artificial gravity and astronaut training were read and answered during the board presentation.
Board response: Trustees and district leaders thanked Pima for the long partnership and for proposals to begin serving 6th–8th graders at five middle schools, noting earlier handoffs from high school to college had gaps. "Once you're part of that family, you're always part of that family," a Pima presenter said, urging continued collaboration.
What’s next: This item was provided for information; presenters said they will return with implementation details and requested board support to expand Talent Search into the five named feeder middle schools. No formal board action was required at the meeting.
Sources: Presentation and remarks by Pima Community College representatives (TRIO presenters) and district staff during the Sunnyside Unified School District board meeting.
