FROM BRETT PRITCHARD
CACC COMMUNICATIONS
Alexander City–The U.S. Department of Education recently announced that Central Alabama Community College will receive a federal Talent Search grant in the mount of $388,881. This grant will allow CACC to help more low-income students who would be the first-generation college students.
For more than 20 years, the Talent Search program at CACC has partnered with area high school students to help and assist in graduating from high school and enrolling in college. Talent Search will provide five years of funding to help local students find their path to college. The program accepts 9th – 12th grade students from the following high schools: Winterboro, BB Comer, Sylacauga, Lincoln, Central Coosa County, Childersburg, Talladega County Central, Horseshoe Bend, Reeltown, Benjamin Russell, Dadeville, and Central of Clay County.
At least two-thirds of the students in each local Talent Search program are from low-income families whose parents do not have a college education. Talent Search provides these students with counseling, as well as information about college admissions requirements, scholarships and various student financial aid programs. According to the U.S. Department of Education, 80% of Talent Search participants enroll in postsecondary institutions immediately following high school graduation. In FY20, more than 309,000 students are enrolled in 473 Talent Search TRIO projects in the U.S.
“Our Talent Search program has long been a staple of our college,” Jeff Lynn, president of CACC mentioned.
“Our mission is to provide the best, higher education opportunity possible to all high school students in our service area regardless of their economic situation. We are here to assist our high schools in helping their students graduate and then transition smoothly to CACC to begin their college experience.”
Many Talent Search alumni have gone on to achieve great success. Among them are former U.S. Congressman Henry Bonilla from Texas and former Oklahoma State Senator and State Representative Kenneth Corn, one of the state’s youngest in history.
Talent Search began in 1965 as part of President Lyndon Baines Johnson’s War on Poverty. It was the second of eight federal “TRIO” programs authorized by the Higher Education Act to help college students succeed in higher education. It recognizes that students whose parents do not have a college degree have more difficulties navigating the complexity of decisions that college requires for success, bolsters students from low-income families who have not had the academic opportunities that their college peers have had, and helps remove obstacles preventing students from thriving academically.
Dr. Shandra Williams, Project Director said, “We are partnered with 12 outstanding schools that share our vision and goals to improve the college readiness and success of underrepresented youth. The services we provide are tailored for the needs of each school with a common interest in supporting the students.”
“As systemic inequality and financial hardship discourage students from succeeding in college, TRIO programs like Talent Search take on new importance because they continue to help students who are low-income and first-generation to earn college degrees,” said Maureen Hoyler, president of the non-profit Council for Opportunity in Education (COE) in Washington, D.C. COE is dedicated to furthering the expansion of college opportunities for low-income, first-generation students, and students with disabilities nationwide.
For additional information please contact Brett Pritchard at 256-215-4254 or bpritchard@cacc.edu
