When Kevin Romo graduated from high school, he believed his future was already set. He thought factory work was the path he was destined to follow. That changed when he enrolled at Western Iowa Tech Community College (WITCC) and discovered the TRIO/SSS program. “TRIO was really a family for me,” Romo said. “They helped me with FAFSA, scholarships, tutoring, and even life skills like building credit. They made me see that I had options.”
One of those options led him far beyond Siouxland. With TRIO’s support, Romo landed a fully funded internship with the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C., where he worked with underserved communities and advocated for better funding. He calls it a defining moment: “I saw how decisions made in Washington directly affect people’s lives.”
This fall, Romo headed to Iowa State University on a full-ride scholarship to study wildlife ecology. But even as he looks ahead, his heart remains close to home. “I want to come back to Siouxland and pay it forward,” he said. “TRIO changed my life, and I want to do the same for others.”
For Kevin Romo, TRIO was a turning point that turned possibility into reality.
For more on Kevin's story, check out this interview from Siouxland Public Media.