Illinois TRIO conference held in Bloomington-Normal

NORMAL – The Illinois TRIO 45th Annual Professional Conference will be held in Bloomington-Normal for the second year in a row.

The association is made up of programs that help students who are low income, first generation, disabled, or veterans pursue post-secondary education. The Illinois TRIO association consists of 148 programs across the state within universities, high schools, and community agencies.

Illinois TRIO president, Laura Dayton, spoke about her inspiration for this years theme and speech centered around creating lasting bonds with synergy and solidarity.

“We are like a family,” Dayton explained.

“We have newcomers every year and we are making sure we extend ourselves to newcomers.”

The conference was selected to be held in Bloomington-Normal because of its central location within Illinois.

“Because we have programs throughout the state, 148 programs, that spans from the north to the south of the state,” Dayton said.

Dayton is excited to begin the conference, spanning from April 17th to the 19th, to build solid foundations for the association as they move forward.