A Lifetime of Opportunity: Leslie Yingling and the Impact of TRIO

Leslie Yingling, associate vice-chancellor for student success, has dedicated her career to expanding educational opportunities and supporting student success. She's led U of A programs including Upward Bound, the College Access Initiative and the Multicultural Center. Her own path began as a participant in TRIO, a federally funded network of college access and student success programs. In this Q&A, she reflects on her journey from TRIO student to higher education leader.

Q: Your journey with TRIO began when Talent Search counselors visited your school in Winslow. What do you remember about that experience, and how did it change the way you thought about your future?

A: I was in seventh grade when Talent Search counselors came to my school, and they included educators I would learn from and work with for decades. Keith Brink, longtime director of our three Upward Bound programs, was with that team. I knew I wanted to go to college, but I didn't know how to plan for it or what it would be like. I was thrilled about the opportunity they offered to visit schools and think about fields of study I'd never heard of, careers I'd never contemplated. They made dreams feel like possibilities.

Yingling talks with Caleb Weatherspoon, a senior in architecture, at the Arkansas Union. The encouragement Yingling received as a student continues to influence her approach to leadership. Photo by Chieko Hara.

Q: You've described growing up in a small rural community where college wasn't a common expectation. What barriers or uncertainties did you face as a first-generation student, and how did TRIO programs help you navigate them?

A: Talent Search took me on my first campus visits and had me thinking early about college planning and learning its language - majors, scholarships and financial aid. Perhaps more than anything, it was the gift of getting comfortable with so much that was unfamiliar.

Q: After Talent Search, you

became an Upward Bound student. What did Upward Bound provide academically, socially or personally that made a big difference in your path to college?

A: Upward Bound changed my life when I moved to campus for six weeks and made new friends, all small-town kids grappling with the expense and unfamiliarity of college. I met three of my still-closest friends in Upward Bound, and we came to UARK together: today two of us are local, one is in Chicago, and one lives in rural France. TRIO was transformative for each of us.

Q: You have said that Upward Bound gave you a sense of belonging and a community of peers who shared similar aspirations. Why was that experience so meaningful, and how did it shape your understanding of educational opportunity?

A: A lot of us grew up pretty far from town, down dirt roads without a lot of mobility, especially in the summer. Others were first-generation Americans navigating even more of the unfamiliar. We all got to share the experience of being hopeful about our futures and encouraging one another in our goals, with higher education as the gateway.

Q: You were among few students from your high school to attend a four-year university as a traditional freshman. Looking back, what did that milestone mean to you, and what support systems helped make it possible?

A: The encouragement — and sometimes commiseration — of my parents, sister, teachers, along with friends and mentors I met through TRIO, were all essential to my very soft landing at the University of Arkansas. And it meant I stayed close to TRIO, which was where I got my first campus service hours, work experience, leadership education and, eventually, my first full-time job in higher education.

Q: Your connection to TRIO didn't end when you became a college student: you eventually built a career leading programs such as Upward Bound and the College Access Initiative, another pre-college outreach program. What inspired you to move from being a TRIO participant to becoming a TRIO professional?

A: My academic aspirations and achievements were nurtured by the TRIO community, which helped get me to college and through college, and, since that began, I have felt grateful and connected. I had imagined being a journalist, but I was also consistently drawn toward mentoring, teaching and other chances to expand educational equity in places where people have been historically excluded from college opportunity.

Q: Throughout your career, you've worked to expand college access and student success for Arkansas students. What have you learned from the students and families you've served that continues to influence your work today?

A: I learn from every conversation because I think when we share our stories, curiosities, hopes and ideas, we improve our vision and expand our circles of interest and care. Every student, family and community is a wealth of knowledge, of ways of being and lived experiences that are different from mine. Students who make the University of Arkansas their college of choice bring all that with them, and it's our luck and privilege that this place learns and grows from them.