#WGITH: Mr. Bibbs Gets Students Ready For College with TRio / Talent Search Program
Many times, parents and students need additional support as the try to navigate the transition from high school to college. Did you know, there is a program right here in our Charlotte area schools that can help called TRiO / Talent Search. On this month’s episode of “What’s Good In The Hood with Ms. Jessica” I had a chance to chat with Alexis Bibbs, Senior TRiO/Talent Search Coordinator at West Mecklenburg High School, and learn about this wonderful program that prepares high school students for the next chapter of their life!
Ms. Jessica and Alexis Bibbs on college tour in Washington DC with Communities In School Students (April 2012)
Talent Search is a Federal TRiO program administered by Communities In Schools through funding from the U.S. Department of Education. The program is delivered through a case-management model by CIS Talent Search Counselors at selected CMS high schools, serving approximately 1,000 students annually.
The goal of Talent Search is to support students who have the potential to succeed in higher education but who may be first in their family to attend college (“first generation”), and to help these students progress through the academic pipeline to postsecondary degree attainment. Participants prepare for post-secondary education through workshops and events that focus on career exploration, college preparation, and social and cultural development. Activities include college advisement, assistance with college, financial aid, and scholarship applications, tutoring, campus tours, financial literacy programs, SAT/ACT preparation, career exploration, social capital networking and exposure, and cultural enrichment. Talent Search Counselors also assist students with the transition from high school to college, through their first semester in college.
