Earlier this month, University of Guam TRiO Programs Director Yoichi Rengiil received the Walter O. Mason Jr. Award—the highest and most prestigious award given to a TRiO professional—by the Council for Opportunity in Education (COE).

Rengiil is the first TRiO director from the region to receive such an honor. The award is presented to honor outstanding educational opportunity professionals who exemplify a sense of leadership and ideals of the late Walter O. Mason, Jr., a special assistant to the president at the University of Oklahoma.

Over the decades, Rengiil has helped expand the University’s TRiO programs from solely the Student Support Service to include Upward Bound and Educational Talent Search. He has also helped secure millions of dollars in external funding for the University to serve low-income, first generation college students and students with disabilities.

“Yoichi is a strong long-time advocate for student success,” said Senior Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs Dr. Anita Borja Enriquez. “His admirable dedicated efforts over the last 30 years to our TRiO programs has provided successful pathways to better access and college completion for many of our underserved students in Guam and the region.“

About TRiO Programs
TRIO is a 100% federally funded, nationwide, non-profit program designed to assist students from disadvantage backgrounds, who are first-generation college bound and/or who are from low-income households, complete secondary education and continue to pursue and complete post-secondary education. TRIO Programs are comprised of three educational opportunity outreached programs: Educational Talent Search, Upward Bound, and Student Support Services.

UOG TRIO’s mission is to motivate and assist economically and educationally disadvantaged students from our community and Micronesia, to ensure their progress through the academic pipeline, from middle school through post-secondary programs, and to increase college retention and graduation rates of the target population.  For more information about UOG TRIO programs, call (671) 735-2246.