Jon Jacobs and Susun Xiong (pictured), TRIO Upward Bound alumni from the classes of 2005 and 2007, respectively, each won the 2014 Minnesota TRIO Achievers award. They both earned post-secondary degrees and were selected for achieving a reputable position in their field of work and/or community. Jacobs is an architect and earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the  University of Minnesota. Xiong is currently a research and graduate assistant at the University of Illinois (UIC) at Chicago where she is pursuing a master’s degree in disability and human development. She has bachelor’s degrees in anthropology and women’s studies from Hamline University. They are a testament of the impact the TRIO program had on them, the involvement/impact they have had in the community, the perseverance to obtain their degrees, and the determination to overcome obstacles.

Jacobs and Xiong will be honored at the TRIO Achievers Banquet on April 7, 2014, at the Grandview Lodge in Nisswa, Minnesota. They were nominated by Minerva Munoz, director of TRIO Upward Bound, and Elizabeth Nelson, TRIO Upward Bound office manager and human resources coordinator.