White honored for TRiO service

HOPE – Mary White, Director of Student Support Services at the University of Arkansas Hope-Texarkana, was recently honored for 20 years of TRiO Student Support Services at the Southwest Association of Student Assistance Programs (SWASAP) Conference in Baton Rouge, LA.

SWASAP represents the states of Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. Its goal is to advance and defend the ideals of equal educational opportunity for all TRiO eligible individuals by providing guidance and support to achieve those educational goals.

White became the Director of the TRiO Student Services Program (SSS) when it first started at UACCH in 1997. The program offers help to at-risk students with adjusting to a college environment, attaining good academic standing, and increasing their likelihood of continuing their education at a four-year college or university. The program is funded through the Department of Education Title IV grants.

White is a Hope native and has had an illustrious career in education. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in social studies at California State University in Los Angeles, and a Master of Science degree in education from East Texas State University in Texarkana, Texas. She taught social studies for nine years in Los Angeles before moving back to Arkansas, where she taught for 15years in Texarkana. She then moved to Hope, to head up the TRiO SSS program.

When asked about the award, White said, “I love my job, and for the past 20 years, my vision has been that every participant will experience the victory of completing post-secondary education. That continues to be my vision today.”