What do Daniel Hernandez, the University of Arizona student who helped keep U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords alive after the tragic January shooting in a Safeway parking lot, and Donna Brazile, the political operative/analyst and chairman of former Vice President Al Gore’s presidential campaign, have in common?

Both are products of Upward Bound, one of eight TRIO programs that help low-income students gain access to opportunities in higher education.

“TRIO plays an important role in ensuring that students have the skills they need before, during and after postsecondary education to achieve success in their education- and career-based goals,” said Eduardo Ochoa, assistant secretary for postsecondary education at the U.S. Department of Education.

He delivered his remarks at the Council for Opportunity in Education’s 31^st annual policy seminar Monday afternoon. “TRIO programs develop and fortify the fundamental skills that students need to succeed and to set the stage for future success in college and in the workforce. Without these basic skills, students are highly unlikely to enroll in college, and if they do enroll, it’s even less likely that they will succeed.”

Ochoa cited grim statistics about minority and low-income students being left behind. Only 38 percent of graduating high school seniors from low-income neighborhoods move on directly to college, compared to 81 percent of those in the highest income quartile. After matriculating, only 21 percent earn bachelor’s degrees compared to 45 percent of students from more affluent backgrounds.

He also reiterated the Obama administration’s mantra about raising the nation’s college completion rate to 60 percent by 2020, a figure which will require higher graduation rates from minority and low-income students.

“We are facing critical and growing achievement gaps between races and income levels,” Ochoa said. “Given the current demographic trends in the U.S., increased college attainment levels on a national scale cannot be achieved without higher education levels for Latinos, African-Americans and other minorities. We need these growing groups to be able to compete globally in order for us to maintain a competitive edge.”