SANFORD - The Central Carolina Community College TRiO programs hosted the annual NC TRiO Student Initiatives Conference and Scholars' Bowl Tournament on March 2 at the Dennis A. Wicker Civic & Conference Center in Sanford. Over 300 high school and college students were in attendance from TRiO programs at 10 institutions across the state.

The student conference kicked off in the morning with a presentation by motivational speaker Donovan Livingston -- an award-winning educator, spoken word poet, and public speaker. In 2016, his Harvard Graduate School of Education convocation address "Lift Off" went viral, reaching over thirteen million views. Livingston is a native of Fayetteville, received his undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and currently lives in Winston-Salem while completing his doctoral degree at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He also holds Masters degrees from both Columbia University Teachers College and Harvard University. His work has included serving as a College Advisor in Greensboro, Durham, and in the Bronx, N.Y., with the College Advising Corps, Student U, and the Emily Krzyzewski Center, and as an Academic Advisor with the Upward Bound TRiO program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. During his address, he spoke to the low-income and first-generation students in the audience about being authentic and true to themselves, being inclusive of others, and rising above challenges to achieve their goals.

Afterward, students attended three workshops facilitated by guest speakers from several offices of Central Carolina Community College, Counseling Services and the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences at Campbell University, the Graduate School at University of North Carolina at Pembroke, the TRiO-Student Support Services program at Cleveland Community College, and a personal financial counselor from Zeiders Enterprises, Inc. Workshop topics included growth mindsets, college-level academics, financial literacy, STEM, career readiness, communication skills, and graduate school. Students also had the opportunity to celebrate TRiO's national day of service by participating in a community service project throughout the day in which they made heartfelt cards to send to seniors living in local Bayberry Retirement Inn facilities.

The day wrapped up with a student panel in which current college students shared information about their backgrounds and talked about their experiences adjusting to and finding success in college. Panelists included TRiO Student Support Services participants Tamia Cruz and Roxanne Tate from Beaufort Community College, and Brandy Snipes and Tre' Juon Johnson from Central Carolina Community College. The panel was moderated by CCCC TRiO Student Support Services participant Yushevia Brewington.

Nine teams of high school TRiO scholars competed in the Scholars' Bowl tournament. Scholars' Bowl is a game in which two teams of four compete head-to-head to answer questions from all areas of knowledge, including history, literature, math, science, fine arts, current events, popular culture, sports, and more. The winner of the competition was a team from Appalachian State University Upward Bound. They will compete in the Southeast Regional competition in Atlanta, Ga., on March 30.

The Federal TRiO Programs are Federal outreach and student services programs designed to identify and provide services for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds. TRiO includes eight programs targeted to serve and assist low-income individuals, first-generation college students, and individuals with disabilities to progress through the academic pipeline from middle school to postbaccalaureate programs.

For more information about TRiO programs at Central Carolina Community College, visit www.cccc.edu/trio.