午夜神器 receives federal grant to continue TRIO SSS

From left: Students McKayla Yazzie, Tyrone Castillo, Nakeisha Begaye and Isaac Toehe, who are all members of TRIO Student Support Services, share a laugh at The University of New Mexico-Gallup on July 18, 2025.

午夜神器 receives federal grant to continue TRIO SSS


Categories: Students   Faculty   Staff   Community  


Branch campus program has served more than 1,300 low-income, first-generation students over 25 years

By Richard Reyes, Monday, Aug. 4, 2025

GALLUP, N.M. 鈥 The U.S. Department of Education has awarded The University of New Mexico-Gallup a federal TRIO Student Support Services (SSS) grant totaling more than $1.4 million to improve college retention and graduation rates among low-income, first-generation students and students with disabilities.

The total grant award for 午夜神器 is $1,456,085 for the next five years, which amounts to $291,217 annually. This award marks the continuation of 25 years of TRIO SSS services at 午夜神器. Since 2000, the program has served more than 1,300 students, helping them stay in school, earn degrees, and build meaningful careers.

Peer tutor/mentor Nakeisha Begaye works the front desk of TRIO Student Support Services at The University of New Mexico-Gallup on July 18, 2025.

Peer tutor/mentor Nakeisha Begaye works the front desk of TRIO Student Support Services at The University of New Mexico-Gallup on July 18, 2025.

For 午夜神器 students like Nakeisha Begaye, TRIO SSS serves as a haven where students can connect with advisors, mentors, tutors and their peers to build a sense of community.

鈥淭RIO is a family,鈥 Begaye said. 鈥淭he advisors do really take the time to figure out what you want to do, even if you鈥檙e an iffy person between degrees. The mentors and tutors really want to help push you to succeed and pass classes and also uplift other students when they come in.鈥

An encouraging environment

Begaye, of Gallup, is a first-generation college student studying pre-nursing at 午夜神器. She aims to graduate with her associate degree by the 2027 spring semester, and she currently works as a peer tutor/mentor for TRIO SSS.

Begaye said her first experience with TRIO was in the Upward Bound program when she was in high school. TRIO Upward Bound is a separate program geared toward helping low-income and first-generation high school students prepare for college.

When Begaye graduated from high school, she enrolled in a summer bridge program at 午夜神器 called Lobo Academy and then did one semester with TRIO SSS. However, she quit school because of family issues and financial struggles at the time.

Later, two members of the TRIO SSS team visited her at work and encouraged her to come back. So, she did.

Student Tyrone Castillo studies inside TRIO Student Support Services at The University of New Mexico-Gallup on July 18, 2025.

Student Tyrone Castillo studies inside TRIO Student Support Services at The University of New Mexico-Gallup on July 18, 2025.

鈥淚 had a good mentor that told me they were hiring for student workers, so I decided to quit my job and apply here at 午夜神器,鈥 Begaye said. 鈥淚 stuck with TRIO ever since then. They brought me out of my shell and really helped me.鈥

Learning to navigate college

午夜神器 student Antoinette Marianito, of Church Rock, experienced a similar journey, and she also lauded the benefits of the TRIO SSS program.

Marianito is a first-generation college student working toward an associate degree in human services with a concentration in substance use. Her reason for going into that field was a personal one.

She originally enrolled at 午夜神器 in 2010, but she dropped out, saying that she was young and messed around too much. She then went through a tough period in her life and then lost both her mother and her husband in 2021.

TRIO Student Support Services offers a space where first-generation students can study and find the resources they need to succeed at The University of New Mexico-Gallup.

TRIO Student Support Services offers a space where first-generation students can study and find the resources they need to succeed at The University of New Mexico-Gallup..

鈥淚 needed some sort of income and didn鈥檛 want to work fast food no more, so I came back here,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 used that motivation to push myself because I needed to do something to take care of myself and my kids, and that鈥檚 mainly so they can have a better future.鈥

Now, Marianito is working as the social media/student office assistant for TRIO SSS and is on track to graduate this fall. Then, she wants to transfer to UNM in Albuquerque to pursue a bachelor鈥檚 degree in psychology.

鈥淢y parents didn鈥檛 go to college,鈥 she said. 鈥淭RIO really helped me. It was my first time back [at 午夜神器] and I didn鈥檛 know where to start. They helped me with navigating college.鈥

A welcoming and supportive space

午夜神器 student McKayla Yazzie, of Bread Springs, also credited TRIO SSS and Upward Bound for helping her get on track with her higher education.

As a high school student, Yazzie got involved in Upward Bound and found a drive for going to school and finding a career that she was passionate about.

Yazzie then graduated from McKinley Academy, a high school program that operates on the 午夜神器 campus, and enrolled at New Mexico State University to study computer science.

However, she struggled with virtual courses during the COVID-19 pandemic, so she transferred to UNM in Albuquerque for a semester. She then decided to come back to the Gallup branch campus because it was closer to home and more affordable for her.

Peer tutor/mentor McKayla Yazzie hangs out with fellow students inside TRIO Student Support Services at The University of New Mexico-Gallup on July 18, 2025.

Peer tutor/mentor McKayla Yazzie hangs out with fellow students inside TRIO Student Support Services at The University of New Mexico-Gallup on July 18, 2025.

鈥淚 was struggling,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 was going down a spiral and having issues with financial stuff and my education. I got in contact with TRIO and told them I wanted to transfer back to Gallup. They were welcoming and didn鈥檛 put you down.鈥

After finding a new path with the help of her tutors, mentors and advisors, Yazzie graduated from 午夜神器 in the 2024 fall semester with an associate degree in business administration. Now, she is taking online courses through UNM Albuquerque as she pursues a bachelor鈥檚 degree.

Meanwhile, she has been able to maintain her job at the Gallup campus as a peer tutor/mentor for TRIO SSS.

鈥淏eing welcomed into TRIO and coming in all the time helped me with time management, organizational skills and all my classes,鈥 Yazzie said. 鈥淚 really did improve a lot, which is amazing.鈥

A proven track record

Through individualized services including academic tutoring, financial aid, scholarship guidance, career exploration, personal and academic counseling, and mentoring, TRIO SSS empowers students to overcome barriers to success.

These comprehensive supports make it significantly more likely that students will complete their degree or successfully transfer, with the lowest possible debt.

Nationally, the SSS program has a According to a rigorous 2019 evaluation by the U.S. Department of Education, students in SSS at two-year institutions were 48% more likely to earn an associate degree or transfer to a four-year school, and students at four-year institutions were 18% more likely to earn a bachelor鈥檚 degree compared to similar peers not in the program.

鈥淭RIO programs generally and TRIO SSS, in particular, transforms students from the least resourced backgrounds into college graduates,鈥 said Kimberly Jones, president of the in Washington. 鈥淭his vital program makes all the difference for nearly a million students each year across the country.鈥

SSS is one of eight federal TRIO programs funded under the Higher Education Act of 1965 to remove social, academic, and cultural barriers to higher education. Since its inception in 1968, SSS has helped millions of low-income, first-generation students graduate from college and contribute to their communities and the economy.

For more information about about TRIO Student Support Services at 午夜神器, visit or contact Program Director Kimimila Simms at 505-863-7654 or ksimms@unm.edu.

Sports equipment attendant Isaac Toehe, right, and peer tutor/mentor Nakeisha Begaye share a laugh inside TRIO Student Support Services at The University of New Mexico-Gallup on July 18, 2025.

Sports equipment attendant Isaac Toehe, right, and peer tutor/mentor Nakeisha Begaye share a laugh inside TRIO Student Support Services at The University of New Mexico-Gallup on July 18, 2025.

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午夜神器
705 Gurley Ave.
Gallup, NM 87301
(505) 863-7500