FSCJ Receives U.S. Department of Education Grant for TRIO Student Support Services STEM Project

Dec 11, 2025, 10:33 AM

Florida State College at Jacksonville (FSCJ) was awarded a $1,361,820, five-year grant from the U.S. Department of Education for the TRiO Student Support Services (SSS) STEM project, titled Changing Lives … One Student at a Time. The project will serve 160 eligible participants. To qualify, participants must be low-income, neither parent received a bachelor’s degree prior to enrollment and/or an individual with a documented disability.

Participants in the TRiO SSS-STEM (Changing Lives) project will pursue STEM certification programs, STEM and Health Sciences A.S. degrees, and A.A. degrees leading to STEM pre-med and transfer programs. The project helps students overcome barriers that affect retention, graduation and transfer rates. Services include academic advising, tutoring, job shadowing, peer mentoring, career exploration, financial literacy, transfer planning and wellness support to promote academic success and personal growth.

“We are honored to receive this TRiO Student Support Services-STEM grant,” said College President John Avendano, Ph.D. “This funding will enable the program participants to receive expanded resources, personalized support and hands-on opportunities that assist with persistence, graduation and pursuing rewarding careers in STEM and Health Sciences fields to address critical workforce needs.”

FSCJ’s STEM and Health Sciences programs are housed between FSCJ Advanced Technology Center and North Campus, offering Information Technology, Engineering Technology/Advanced Manufacturing, Biotechnology, Health Sciences education programs, among others.

To learn more about TRiO SSS-STEM, visit fscj.edu/saem/trio-student-support-services.

 

About FSCJ

Known as “the community’s college,” Florida State College at Jacksonville (FSCJ) exists to provide equitable, high quality, success-driven learning experiences for our diverse community of students. Serving more than 45,000 students and awarding over 5,000 degrees and certificates on an annual basis, the College plays a significant role in supplying the region’s employers with a highly skilled, educated workforce.