TRIO Helps Tia Grow as a Writer and Stay on the Path to Her Dream

By SU Integrated Marketing

SALISBURY, MD---As a Black queer woman, Tia Credle has often felt as if she has to work twice as hard as her peers for her voice to be heard.

She’s also a first-generation college student, which comes with its own set of challenges. She always wanted to attend university to study creative writing and literature, and make her mother proud by accomplishing something she wasn’t able to. It was thanks to the TRIO Student Support Services program that Credle was able to enroll in the Creative Writing Program at Salisbury University. Now she has the resources to excel in college and prepare for her future career as a writer.

“I love writing. It’s my passion and always has been,” Credle said. “I have all these things that stack up against me, but I always kept prevailing because this what I truly want to do.”

Credle has had many opportunities to grow through SU’s Creative Writing Program, taking part in workshops to improve her craft, meeting some of her favorite authors through SU’s Writers on the Shore series and even publishing her work in literary magazines. She dreams of one day traveling around the world, telling narratives of the LGBTQIA+ community and being an editor for a literary magazine – and every day, she gets one step closer to that dream.

“In order for me to grow as a writer and to see my potential for my future, I have to I have to stick with it,” Credle said. “It’s been important for me to have a support system to rely on and resources to better myself.”

Learn more about TRIO and other resources for first-generation college students.

Learn more about SU and opportunities to Make Tomorrow Yours.