TRIO Students Abroad – Let’s Make it Happen!

Although acknowledged as a high impact undergraduate experience, low-income students are under-represented in study abroad programs. TRIO serves KU students that are either first-generation, have high financial need, or experience a disability or chronic health condition. Predominantly low-income, KU’s TRIO students often use every financial resource available to pay for tuition, housing and necessities and view study abroad as an out-of-reach luxury.

In May 2022, TRIO staff will lead the Developing Global Perspective short-term study abroad trip to Costa Rica, offered only to TRIO students. Our 8-day program will include visits to cultural and historical sites, presentations on ecology and education, tours of a volcano national park and a hike in a biological preserve.

We have worked hard to make the program as affordable as possible. Even so, many students will see the cost as prohibitive. Our aim for this project is to raise money for individual scholarships so that more students will be able to take advantage of this international opportunity. We will prioritize students that have not previously traveled outside of the U.S.

Global experiences can open so many doors, especially for students that have not had previous opportunities to travel and to experience intercultural exchange. With your help through this campaign, we hope that the financial barrier to studying abroad in Costa Rica will be lessened and allow more TRIO students to participate.