TRIO SSS boss is The Beacon’s Education Professional of the Month for March.
By William Smith
Sibyl McIntire became an advocate for education shortly after graduating from the University of Iowa in 2003 when she discovered a passion for helping students through one of the most stressful periods of their life.
“After college, I went into working in higher education, in admissions,” she said. “I enjoyed it, but when I got in the role of advising and working with students, I realized they needed people to speak up for them. Someone saying, ‘Why can’t this group of students have access to x,y, and z?’ ”
As the project director for TRIO Student Support Services for the Southeastern Community College campuses in West Burlington and Keokuk, McIntire and her staff specialize in assisting students realize their full potential. TRIO SSS is celebrating its 25th anniversary later this month, and McIntire has been the director for the past nine years.
“I get the great pleasure of working with students on a day-to-day basis,” McIntire said.
McIntire was selected as the winner of the Burlington Beacon’s second Teacher/Staff of the Month award and was flattered by the recognition. But she wants the focus of the publicity to be on the TRIO program and staff.
“We serve 225 students a year,” she said. “We are a federally-funded program, so it’s no cost to the college.”
The TRIO programs offer a supportive environment to empower underrepresented students to take on education beyond high school. TRIO federal programs include eight programs targeted to serve and assist low-income individuals, first-generation college students, and individuals with disabilities to go through the academic pipeline from middle school to post-baccalaureate programs.
TRIO SSS, which falls under the TRIO umbrella, accepts 225 first-generation students every year who want to complete their degree at SCC and continue to a four-year college to earn their bachelor’s degree. That includes those who have a documented physical or learning disability and those who meet federal income guidelines.
“We have a spot on campus, the TRIO Center, where the students can meet with their academic advisors. It’s a safe place for the students,” McIntire said.
It’s certainly not where McIntire thought she would end up as she entered college. She was a political science and communications major, and spent a summer in Washington D.C. She was fascinated by the political process and still is.
But her heart lay in advocacy for others. That’s why she is the current Iowa TRIO Association president, coordinating with other TRIO organizations across the state.
“I think it’s really important to give back, and that blends in with what I do at work,” she said.
It’s a rewarding career, capping off a quiet life that includes a husband, two teenage boys, three pets, and a love for gardening. And a never-ending belief in her students.
“The students are just so sweet. I am just so proud of the hard work they continue to do,” she said.