I was born here in Coos Bay and have lived here for practically my whole life. I come from a Hispanic household. Although we are not extremely wealthy, we work hard to meet our goals. I have two loving parents that have supported me from the beginning. They are always making sure I accomplish and complete my life goals. I am pursuing an associates degree in Nursing and I’m hoping to make it into the nursing program next year. - Adolfo Rodriguez, Art and Toni Poole Scholarship

I had a very fulfilling life at Southwestern! I felt close to my instructors and was always able to ask them questions. It was easy to make friends so I was able to improve my English and learn about American culture.

There aren’t many places where education and nature are so closely intertwined. Southwestern has both in spades.

Coming to Southwestern was one of the best decisions I’ve made. Everyone was kind and thoughtful. They made me feel at home.

I would like to thank the Mike Groben Scholarship donor who has honored me with the gift of this scholarship. This generous gift will ease financial burdens which will, in turn, help me achieve a dream that started 27 years ago - to further my education and earn my Associates degree in Digital Design. It is often hard to ask for help. I am touched and very thankful to people who are willing to help people succeed. I hope I may be able to pay it forward to a student like myself one day and honor them. My family and I thank you for this scholarship. - Anthony Williams, Mike Groben Scholarship

Trio has been the secret ingredient in my recipe for academic success. My Trio advisor has always encouraged my goals and provided expert guidance. Trio also recommended financial resources to fit my situation. I owe a lot to them!

He estado estudiando en Southwestern Oregon Community College desde hace ya un tiempo y debo decir que ha sido una experiencia bastante agradable. Algunos puntos que podría recalcar son que es un college pequeño a comparación con otros, lo que lo hace más acogedor, como una pequeña familia. La atención que brindan es más personalizada, las clases son de grupos pequeños por lo tanto hay mayor comunicación con los profesores que hasta saben los nombres de casi todos sus alumnos. En lo personal me gusta estar en contacto con la naturaleza y puedo asegurar que este lugar es increíble con respecto a eso, estamos rodeados de árboles, un pequeño lago y a veces cuando camino a mis clases encuentro venados por los jardines del campus.

I never set my sights on college because just living day-to-day was a financial struggle. I had no idea how I was going to be a successful student until I found TRIO. They helped me realize that my dreams and ambitions were not out of reach simply because of my finances. TRIO made me feel validated and heard in my struggles. The TRIO advisors taught me about scholarships showing me I had many more opportunities available to me than I thought possible, and they showed me how to take advantage of them! It was a TRIO campus trip to Oregon State University that made me realize OSU was where I needed to be. It’s because of TRIO that I have made it to where I am today: an OSU graduate with a bachelor's in Agricultural Science and a minor in Comparative International Agriculture.