{"id":66273,"date":"2025-02-17T12:11:32","date_gmt":"2025-02-17T17:11:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fxv.digital\/cool\/?p=66273"},"modified":"2025-02-20T11:17:57","modified_gmt":"2025-02-20T16:17:57","slug":"trio-day-qa-with-lilyan-prado-carrillo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fxv.digital\/cool\/2025\/02\/17\/trio-day-qa-with-lilyan-prado-carrillo\/","title":{"rendered":"TRIO\u2019s Impact: A Story of Support from Lilyan Prado Carrillo"},"content":{"rendered":"

Celebrating <\/span>National TRIO Day<\/span><\/a> resonates deeply with the <\/span>CoolSpeak<\/span><\/a> team as a time to celebrate the transformative impact of TRIO programs on the lives of students across the country\u2026 including two of our own. CoolSpeak Founder and CEO <\/span>Carlos Ojeda Jr.<\/span><\/a> and CoolSpeaker <\/span>Lilyan Prado Carrillo<\/span><\/a> are proud TRIO alumni.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

You already know CoolSpeakers share our stories, so we wanted to shine a spotlight on our TRIO stories to highlight how our team has a shared lived experience with the TRIO community.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Growing up in Texas, Lilyan attended Denton High School and participated in the TRIO Upward Bound through the University of North Texas<\/a>. Here is how #TRIOworks for Lilyan:<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

How TRIO Transformed My Life: A First-Gen Success Story<\/b><\/h3>\n

Before joining Upward Bound, college felt like a distant dream\u2014something I wanted but didn\u2019t dare to say out loud. I would occasionally confide in a trusted teacher or the school counselor I trusted, but it was rare.\u00a0 Not even with my dad, because I didn\u2019t want him to feel guilty if he couldn\u2019t help me, and I didn\u2019t want to burden him with more worries about money. It was tough. <\/span><\/p>\n

I was surrounded by friends who had clear paths to college, parents who could afford tuition to out-of-state schools could buy them cars without the need for them to work for them, and they could afford summer vacations, and spring break ski trips. Their lives seemed effortless to me, while mine was filled with uncertainty, self-doubt, and a lot of financial pressure. I wanted to go to school, but I didn\u2019t believe I actually could, so I didn\u2019t allow myself to dream too close.<\/span><\/p>\n

That all changed when my English teacher recommended me for Upward Bound. At first, I didn\u2019t immediately put too much hope into it\u2014until I met a young lady who would become my academic advisor. That moment changed everything. She was this young white lady, blonde, a college graduate, and fluent in Spanish! When she met my dad, she recognized him pretty much immediately\u2014years earlier, she had taught him ESL classes at night at my high school.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

He had once told her about his daughter, and now, standing in front of her, was the girl he had spoken about. My dad had shared with her that he was a single father, that we were from Guatemala, and that my mother had left when I was five, leaving him to raise me on his own. He was doing the best he could, trying to build a life for us in a country that was still new to us.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What I didn\u2019t know back then was that he had always believed in me.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That connection created an instant trust and belief in what Jenny told me almost every time she saw me: <\/span>“You are capable. You are smart. You can graduate high school and go to college.”\u00a0 <\/span><\/i>That moment started to change how I saw myself. If my dad and this lady could believe in me so deeply, I needed to believe in myself, too.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Years later, my academic advisor, Jenny, told me how proud my dad had always been of me, how he always thought I was so smart, and how much he wanted me to go to school and have a better life than he thought he could give.<\/span><\/p>\n

More Than a Program\u2014A Family<\/b><\/h3>\n

The Upward Bound staff wasn\u2019t just a support system\u2014they became my family.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jenny Jacquot <\/b>was more than an academic advisor; she was like a big sister and a mentor. She spoke life into me, the way I imagined a mom would have done had I had one that raised me. To this day, we stay in touch, and recently, when she found out that I dealt with cancer, she sent me recipe books to help my diet and even more recently, when she found out I was running for office, she sent me support and well wishes! She is my family and will be for all time.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rhonda Grundy<\/b> didn\u2019t just give me rides when I needed them\u2014she gave me responsibility. She never made me feel like a charity case but instead put me to work, allowing me to accept help with dignity. She never gave up on me and was always so eager to celebrate my wins and console me in my losses.<\/span><\/p>\n

Diane Newman<\/b>, the Upward Bound director, was a warm demander, someone who loved me while holding me accountable. She had high expectations, and she made sure I met them while always celebrating my accomplishments.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So many RAs and staff members, like <\/span>Rodney Mitchell<\/b> and <\/span>Stephanie Taylor<\/b>, created a space where I felt safe, could have fun, take risks, be silly, and act like the teenager I was instead of always having to be \u201cgrown\u201d, I felt supported, valued, and loved.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lessons That Last a Lifetime<\/b><\/h3>\n

UB taught me that you don\u2019t have to be rich to change lives\u2014you just have to show up for people. The TRIO staff members weren\u2019t wealthy, but they were change-makers, and I learned so much from them.<\/span><\/p>\n

Today, as an educator, speaker, and advocate for first-generation students, I pass on these lessons, ensuring others know they are not alone.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n