A national award for one of our own is shining light on a program that has touched and improved thousands of lives.
KENS 5 reporter James Munoz has been honored with the 2010 TRIO National Achiever Award. Munoz traveled to San Diego for the ceremony last month where he received the national award along with five others.
Oprah Winfrey is a past winner.
TRIO is a set of federally-funded college opportunity programs that motivate and support students from disadvantaged backgrounds in their pursuit of a college degree.
"This award gives me another push to work harder," Munoz said. "Being a reporter is my passion. I pursued journalism to shed light on problems, affect positive change and help people. It's not a job that pays a lot of money, but it my passion. To have people recognize my work gives me more incentive to devote another 13 years of my life to this."
Growing up in Lubbock in a low-income family, Munoz is the first in his family to go to college.
"Only a handful of students I graduated with went to college. They weren't prepared and didn't have the money," he said. "College wasn't something we even talked about at home or at school."
That all changed in James' junior year in high school when TRIO brought a group of speakers into the school.
"I had been working at a fast food restaurant and I knew I wanted to do more with my life," Munoz said. "TRIO made me realize the opportunities for someone like me. I signed up right away for Upward Bound, a two-year college preparation program."
"You could see, even at the age of 16, that James was the kind of person who wanted to make a difference," said Eric Strong, his Outbound Bound Director. "He had a kind heart and was a hard worker."
"TRIO told me I as college material," Munoz said. "No one had ever told me that."
For the next two years Munoz would spend his Saturday mornings at Texas Tech University. There, Upward Bound instructors worked with students on SAT preparation and helped them fill out financial aid applications.
"There were about 50 students in the group. They helped us write our college essays. They brought in motivational speakers. I never would have gone to Texas Tech without Upward Bound," Munoz said.
The support and encouragement from TRIO did not end when Munoz entered college.
"I wouldn't have finished college without the help and emotional support TRIO gave me throughout my four years. TRIO definitely changed my life," Munoz said.
Now, Munoz is using the skills he learned to help change others. During his 13 years as a television news reporter moving around Texas, Munoz has always sought out the TRIO programs in the city where he's worked.
He is now a motivational speaker for those low-income, first generation college students.
The television journalist has also written a book in which he uses his full name, James Doughty-Munoz.
"Part of remaining an independent journalist came when I self-published 'Some Monument to Last.' In this self-published work, I document how despite several obstacles, I have managed to always pursue my dreams. The book highlights how education made all the difference," he said.
"Soon after Mr. Doughty-Munoz arrived in San Antonio, he contacted my office and introduced himself as a former Upward Bound participant from the Upward Bound Project at Texas Tech University," said Dr. Jacqueline Dansby, Director of Upward Bound at St. Mary's University. "He shared his heartfelt commitment to Upward Bound and offered his service to the Upward Bound Program at St. Mary's University."
"From that point on, he regularly is invited to be integrally involved with St. Mary's University Upward Bound and has served as a keynote speaker for our participants on numerous occasions."
"Last summer, our Upward Bound students read his book, 'Some Monument to Last;' Mr. Munoz took time from his very demanding profession to visit Upward Bound's Literature & Composition classes and talk candidly with Upward Bound participants about the process of writing a book and answering their questions," Dansby said. "He truly inspired and motivated them to achieve their dreams!"
Since its inception in 1965, TRIO has helped over 850,000 low-income students earn college degrees. All of them are first-generation college students.
The promise Strong saw in Munoz 20 years ago has been more than realized.
"I wouldn't be where I am today without TRIO," Munoz said.
It's something hundreds more students will undoubtedly be saying in the years to come.
With the time Munoz is devoting to the program today, many of those students will also have James Munoz to thank as well.
