TRIO hosts successful summer program at Montana Tech with special trip to Washington, D.C.

Twenty high school students from Butte, Anaconda, and Helena capped off a five-week immersive, hands-on summer learning and research program at Montana Tech with an action-packed, once-in-a-lifetime trip to Washington, D.C.

The students were the summer 2024 cohort in the TRIO Upward Bound and TRIO Upward Bound Math and Science programs. TRIO is a federally funded program that provides academic tutoring, counseling, mentoring, financial guidance, and other support to assist first-generation and low-income students in obtaining post-secondary higher education and career training.

“They spend five weeks with us on campus living in the dorm,” Executive Director of the Institute for Educational Opportunities Theresa Rader said. “They take some core classes. They take a math, an English, and a foreign language. They also pair with professors or staff to do real life research. At the end of the five weeks, they present in symposium style just like our Montana Tech students.”

The students are paid $100/week for their research, which often gives them a little spending money for the next part of the program: an educational trip outside of Montana. Most years the group travels to Salt Lake City or Seattle. This year the TRIO Office had extra funding available due to staff attrition, and it was possible to take the group to the nation’s capital city.

The trip was full of firsts for many of the students. Inside the airport in Missoula, it quickly became apparent that some of the students had not seen or ridden an escalator.

“For 16 of the 20 students, it was their first time on an airplane,” Rader said.

Once they landed in Washington, students had a whirlwind tour. They toured American University, George Washington University, and Georgetown University.

“They saw the different styles of campuses,” Rader said. “At many campuses you go through a gate, or at Montana Tech, an arch, but George Washington University is an urban campus. It looks like the urban buildings around it.”

Students toured the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, the National Museum of American History, and the National Air and Space Museum, and saw major historical monuments and buildings, including the White House. They met U.S. Senator Jon Tester, who is co-chair of the TRIO Caucus. They also enjoyed attending a major league baseball game, and dining at Medieval Times, a restaurant that features events like jousting and sword fighting.

“The students really got into that,” Rader said.

The highlight of the trip; however, was when the group was granted a rare honor: presenting a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery.

“It’s highly competitive,” Rader said.

Most groups who apply to participate in the ceremonial activities are not able to; however, the TRIO group was chosen. Four students, three from Butte High and one from Anaconda High, presented the wreath during the ceremony.

“They were very moved and thought it was touching,” Rader said. “They were proud. The rest of the students were proud of them to for representing TRIO.”

Rader said thanks are in order to the staff who made the trip possible, especially Kaitlyn Kerr, who is serving as interim director of Upward Bound Programs, who worked extra hard to make sure students had a wonderful time.