TRIO Student Support Services Program
UNC Asheville TRIO Student Support Services Program
UNC Asheville’s TRIO Student Support Services (SSS) Program serves first-generation, low-income students and students with disabilities by providing holistic and targeted support with the goal of lowering their risk for attrition or not completing their degree. Beginning in Spring 2026, the program will support 140 students each semester as they pursue their UNC Asheville degree. The program will also include dedicated support related to financial and economic literacy.
How to Apply
Students meeting federal eligibility criteria are invited to complete a short application.
Every semester, 140 students will be selected to join the program. Any student not selected for the initial cohort of 140 will have the option to join a waitlist to be included in the program when a spot becomes available.
Each cohort will have access to comprehensive support from the Program Director and Academic Success Coach and will be closely connected to key support offices on campus. As part of the TRIO program, participants will build a close-knit support network and develop the skills necessary for success at UNC Asheville and beyond.
For more information about the program, please contact Kristina LLanes at kllanes@unca.edu.
TRIO SSS Program Leadership
Kristina Llanes
TRIO Program Director
Email: kllanes@unca.edu
As TRIO Director, Kristina Llanes will focus on building the program, providing oversight, integrating it into the Academic Success Center, and ensuring students have the support they need to succeed.
Most recently, Llanes served as Interim Director of TRIO Student Support Services at Mars Hill University, where she provided leadership for a federally funded program serving first-generation, low-income, and students with disabilities. In addition to her TRIO leadership experience, Llanes has held advising, faculty, and program coordination roles and brings a strong background in athletics leadership, including serving as the inaugural head women’s lacrosse coach at both NCAA Division I and Division II institutions. Her work is grounded in a holistic, student-centered approach that integrates academic support, personal development, and institutional collaboration.
Llanes holds a Master of Science in Organizational Leadership.
Rebekkah Watkins
TRIO Academic Success Coach
Email: rwatkin1@unca.edu
As the Academic Success Coach, Rebekkah Watkins will provide individualized academic coaching, goal setting, and advocacy to support student persistence and degree completion.
Prior to her current role, Dr. Watkins worked with TRIO and ACCESS programs at Appalachian State University, teaching college success coursework, providing academic support, and supporting students through one-on-one coaching and structured mentoring. She has also served, most recently, as an elementary teacher, earning district recognition for instructional excellence and demonstrating consistent student growth in reading and math.
She holds a Doctorate of Education in Educational Leadership from Appalachian State University and brings almost a decade of experience working with students across K-12 and higher education settings.
TRIO Support Services Grant
The TRIO Student Support Services Program is fully funded by a $1.3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education, disbursed over a five-year period, with no funding coming from non-governmental sources. This is the first TRIO grant awarded to UNC Asheville, and it will provide dedicated assistance to some of the University’s students with the highest needs for comprehensive support.
This grant and program demonstrates UNC Asheville’s commitment to the success of all students by providing comprehensive, student-centered support to a key demographic of our student population. It builds upon the success of initiatives like Access Asheville that serve to make an exceptional, transformative education attainable.
About the Federal TRIO Program
The Federal TRIO Program was created under the authority of the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964. In 1968, the program was expanded to include Student Support Services (SSS), designed to foster increased educational opportunity and attainment. TRIO includes eight programs targeted to serve and assist low-income individuals, first-generation college students, and individuals with disabilities to progress through the academic pipeline from middle school to post-baccalaureate programs.
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