Robin Miller’s destiny appeared trenched in the
farmland that surrounds her small hometown
of Parma, Idaho. Many small farm communities
count on family staying to help out, making it difficult
to break never-ending cycles of poverty. Leaving home
and attending college seemed like a dream to Robin—
one she would never be able to reach, impeded by
social and economic situations beyond her control.
“Its hard to get out of those communities because
sometimes you can get a job right out of high school
and it’s more money than you’ve ever had before,”
Robin said.“It’s hard to turn that down.” Since these
communities are tight-knit and rural, there is often a
fear factor involved with leaving the nest because some
children feel uncomfortable in urban settings.
In spite of Robin’s environment and home life, she
somehow aspired to attend college, even though her
parents didn’t have the means to send her.“My parents
always pushed me to go to college,” Robin said,“but
they had no way to make it happen.”
Because of that push, coupled with opportunities
offered her through the University of Idaho,
Robin did break the cycle of poverty in
her family. She found a way out and is
studying in the College of Education to
become a teacher. Now she’s looking
for ways to give back to the people
and programs that helped her so much
by reaching out to students in similar
situations as hers.

Up The TRIO Pipeline
Robin’s parents divorced when she was
8 years old, and her father suffered from severe
depression.Although there were some pretty low
points in her life, Robin chooses to remember the good
things.“When I was a little girl, my mom read to me all
the time,” she said.“Until I was 4 years old, our closest
neighbor was 20 miles away. My mom just had me,
so we read, cooked, and spent time together. She was
always involved in my education and academics, even
though she barely graduated from high school and had
no support from her family.” Her mother’s positive
outlook on life had a huge impact on Robin, who claims
she never knew they were poor until she left home.
Her dad also taught her how to think analytically by
debating philosophy with her. He even got her tickets
to listen to the Dali Lama. Consequently, she loved
school, particularly math and science, and graduated
high school with a 3.8 GPA in a class of 58 students.
In 2001 when she was 11 years old, Robin was
put on an advanced math placement track in her
school and became involved in Boise State University’s
Educational Talent Search program, a federally funded
TRIO program.The program provides outreach and
support to help low-income, first-generation college-
bound students progress through the academic pipeline
from middle school through entry to a baccalaureate
program.TRIO is not an acronym, but represents the
first three programs of the Higher Education Act
of 1965.
“These are not minority programs, but economic
opportunity projects designed to serve students
from disadvantaged backgrounds,” said Scott Clyde,
director of the TRIO programs at the University of
Idaho.“However, some of our programs target Native
American reservations, and as a consequence we serve
a high percentage of Native Americans.These projects
address that population for which traditional education
has failed,” Scott continued.“We look at alternative
models for education, and place a strong emphasis on
hands-on, project-based learning.”
While a few TRIO students have gone
on to be high profile successes, such as
actress Angela Bassett and astronaut
Ronald McNair, who was killed in the
Challenger explosion, for most TRIO
students, graduating from high school
and college are monumental successes.
Robin knows that without TRIO’s help,
she wouldn’t have been able to attend
college, or even know how to fill out a
FAFSA or a college application.

An epiphany
There was one moment in time when Robin
suddenly became aware of the world that existed
outside her small hometown.When she was in the
seventh grade she flew to a Seattle Seahawks game with
several other Educational Talent Search students.“That
was where it all clicked for me,” said Robin.“I saw what
was out there, and I wanted it.”
Robin continued to attend the Educational Talent
Search Project throughout her middle school years.
Then, when she was a high school freshman, she
applied for the TRIO Upward Bound Math Science
program at the University of Idaho, geared specifically
for high school students.“I was the first student from
Parma to come to the program,” Robin said. Now others
have followed, including Robin’s little brother, who
is six years younger than her and who spent his first

summer at the program last year.“It totally changes
your perspective to get away from the small town.
Coming here helps students realize that there’s a whole
other world that exists,” Robin said.
Amazing Opportunities
The summer Upward Bound program is like a
typical school session. It involves classes in the morning,
such as math, foreign language, forensic science,
topography, or earth science, then lunch break, followed
by afternoon classes.After-school activities include
sports like volleyball or soccer—always something
physically active. In the evenings there is a study table
where students have access to teachers one-on-one
and where they learn study skills.Weekends involve
camping or field trips that always integrate hands-on
learning activities into the event.
“At the end of my second Upward Bound
summer program, the group took a week-long trip
to Yellowstone,” Robin said.“We camped out the
entire week and learned all about the area.That was
a real hands-on experience.
We learned about trees,
elevations, plants and animals.
It was an earth science course.
Yellowstone has so many
oddities—it was a lot of fun.”
Robin spent her entire
third Upward Bound session
in Yellowstone, where 10
students lived outside the
Park with the Park rangers.
“We learned about fire
safety, presented to the
community, and had an in-
depth experience for the full
six weeks,” Robin said.There
were 40 Upward Bound Math
Science students on campus
that summer, so when that group made its weeklong
trip out to Yellowstone, the 10 who had been there for
the summer taught the rest of the group.“That was a
phenomenal experience,” Robin said.“That’s how you
learn. If you can teach it, you really know it.”
Robin’s fourth summer at the University of Idaho
was spent as a Bridge student, preparing her to become
a full-time college student the following fall. She took
a college level ethics and history of science course and
was able to focus and gain the confidence to move to
the next level—a full-fledged college student. She is
now studying math and science and plans to become
certified to teach both at the high school level.“I
like high school age because that’s when you really
start making important decisions in life.When you’re
younger, you don’t have much of a choice about your
circumstances.When you get into high school, you can
start making choices that will break unhealthy cycles,”
Robin said.
“Now that I look back, it all seems like so long ago.
I was 11 years old when I started TRIO, so in two more
years, I’ll have spent half my life in TRIO. My friends
always joke,‘why don’t you go get a tattoo, Robin!’”
Giving Back
In addition to her full time coursework, Robin
works in the TRIO office as a project assistant
in charge of student homework.After
a student has attended the summer
program, he or she is assigned
homework for the school year.
The students who do the best in
their homework assignments
will participate in field trips.

Robin keeps track of the students and their
assignments, and if she hasn’t heard from them in
awhile, will call to see how they’re doing.
“It’s just as much about the personal as the
academic,” she said.“With our students, there are
usually family things going on. I had a student call me
the other day who said he was doing terrible. He was a
good kid this summer, but now he’s in trouble with the
law.We can’t just go and help them in person. He really
wants to come back next summer, and our support is
really meaningful.TRIO programs are an alternative to
that life.”

Robin also has volunteered as a math tutor in the
College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) office.
“I loved my time there.That’s how I know I have to
work with students.The little bit of encouragement
from someone outside the family means a lot to these
students. I received that same encouragement from the
Educational Talent Search and Upward Bound Math
Science Projects. It’s like the full circle. Like helping out
with something that helped me.”
“Sometimes students will say,‘That’s just how
it is,’ but I tell them they can make a choice to
change it,” Robin said.“You don’t have to sit and
take what life delivers. I tell them that their
perspective on the world makes all
the difference. I’ve gotten food
from food banks, worn hand-
me-down clothes, and lived
without phones and
electricity. I’ve been
there. I can be their
role model and tell
them it is totally
possible.”
Robin feels
lucky to have
found her
passion early in
life.“My mom
has always loved
art, and now
she’s going to
school to be an
art teacher. She’s
helping students
paint art murals
at the school, and
she totally loves it,”
Robin said. Robin hopes
she’s been an inspiration
to her mom, but also knows
that without her mother’s help and
support throughout the years, Robin
wouldn’t be where she is now.
“TRIO completely changed my life, and I want
to have the opportunity to help others who are in my
same situation.To know that you have a choice is the
biggest thing I stress to students.The resources are
available, and knowing they exist is so important.There
is a way to get the job done. Sure, sometimes it will be
difficult, but in the end, it will work out.”