PirateQ 
Imagine being given a free car, but being unable to drive it because it needs some repairs that you can’t afford.
Or finding out friends are temporarily without a place to stay, but not being “financially-able” to allow them to live with you.
That was the position Pensacola State College TRIO-Student Support Services (TRIO-SSS) student, Jamie Faulk, found herself in at the start of the summer term.
“I was so appreciative of the offer of the car (Ford Mustang), but I was also discouraged because I didn’t know how I was going to get it up and running, so I could actually use it,” Faulk recalled.
Then to her surprise, she received an email from TRIO-SSS saying she had been awarded a grant for more than $1,700.
Faulk was astonished and stated, “This was just what I needed to get my car on the road ─ it felt like a miracle!”
Not only was transportation secured, but the gift kept on giving. A fellow Pensacola State student and friend of Faulk’s, along with his wife and daughter, were in need of a place to stay while in transition.
“With the extra funds received from the TRIO grant, I was able to host the family at no cost to them. This was truly a timely gift that multiplied blessings,” she said.
Each term TRIO-SSS awards a small group of eligible students the SSS Supplemental Grant, which varies in amount but is usually close to the amount of a minimum Pell Grant award (currently $700).
“This term we were able to award more than double what we usually can give to each student because we had more funds available,” said Rachelle Burns, director of TRIO-SSS. “Obviously in Jamie’s case, this made all the difference in her ability to get her car repaired and be able to use it to get to campus, as well as paying it forward by helping her friend and his family.”
TRIO-SSS is a student success program that provides free services such as tutoring and holistic advising to eligible students. Grant aid is just one of the many additional benefits to being part of this helpful program.
For more information, go to www.pensacolastate.edu/trio or call 850-484-2028.