Senator Gumm Named “Champion Of TRIO”

For his work to ensure Oklahoma’s neediest high school students have a chance at a higher education, Senator Jay Paul Gumm was recently declared a “Champion of TRIO.”

TRIO is a series of programs that help students from disadvantaged backgrounds – especially students whose parents did not attend college – prepare for higher education. The program provides services that include: academic advice and assistance; tutorial services; help with college admission and financial aid applications; as well as mentoring and counseling.

Senator Gumm, a Senate assistant majority leader, is only the second Oklahoman to receive such a distinction, which was made during a recent Oklahoma City ceremony. The only other Oklahoman to ever receive this award is U.S. Congressman Tom Cole.

“The way for Oklahoma to become more prosperous is for more of our young people to get a college education,” said Gumm, a Democrat from Durant. “Education is the means by which young Oklahomans become all God intended for them to be, and I will do everything I can to make certain no child, regardless of their background, is denied a college education.”

Al White, director of TRIO’s Educational Talent Search at Southeastern Oklahoma State University in Durant, said the decision to name Gumm a “Champion of Trio” was an easy one to make.

“Senator Gumm understands that programs like TRIO are often times are a student’s ticket to a new beginning and a brighter future,” White said. “When President Bush cut the TRIO program’s funding out of his proposed budget, Senator Gumm quickly worked to send the message to Washington that he would fight tirelessly to ensure TRIO funding was restored.”

White referred to Senate Resolution 63, which passed the Oklahoma State Senate with overwhelmingly support. The measure urged Oklahoma’s congressional delegation to ensure TRIO funding was restored. The resolution was only the second of its kind to pass through a state legislature anywhere in America.

Gumm said he was honored to be recognized for his work to make college more than just a dream for students who want to succeed.

“My mother was a first generation college graduate, and she pushed me to continue that family tradition,” he said. “Getting that first generation into college lays the groundwork to ensure a family tradition of higher education. Because of that, TRIO programs truly change not just one student, but every generation that will follow.”

The lawmaker concluded that the ability to be educated should not depend on how much money a student’s parent has. “A child’s education should not be based on mom and dad’s ability to pay, but on that child’s willingness and ability to learn,” he said. “TRIO is an investment in our future that must continue.

“As long as my constituents continue to send me to the Capitol to be their voice in the Senate, I will continue to do my part to strengthen educational opportunities for all Oklahoma children.”