Debbie Corsino, M.Ed

Growing up in inner-city Chicago as a first-generation/low-income student, college was not even thought of as an option.  If it wasn’t for an admissions counselor from the University of Illinois thrusting an application in my hands with a stern look and voice telling me to fill out the application, I would never have tried.  It was one of the best things to ever happen to me because it not only opened my eyes to the possibilities, it also let me know I was “good enough” to even try.  I am a TRiO-Lifer.  I am an alum of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s TRiO/Student Support Services program, worked for that very same program as a professional, and even directed my own TRiO/SSS program.  Now, I am back in TRiO after being a director of a multicultural center and I am loving it!  I hold both a BA in Speech Communication and a Masters of Education- Educational Policy Studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and am currently working on an Educational Leadership in Higher Education Specialist Degree at Northcentral University.  As you can see, learning is a life-long journey for me—all because TRiO taught me the possibilities are there for me to pursue at any age or time in one’s life.