TRIO Talent Search will provide five years of funding to help 671 Clatsop County middle and high school students find their path to college.
Astoria, Oregon. (August 3, 2021) – The U.S. Department of Education announced that Clatsop Community College will receive a federal Talent Search grant of $372,238.00 annually to help more low income and first-generation students succeed in and graduate from college. The US Department of Education funding is for five years. Clatsop Community College has received TRIO Talent Search funds from the Federal Government for the past thirty years.
One of the Federal TRIO Programs, Talent Search identifies and assists middle and high school students who have potential to succeed in higher education. At least two-thirds of the students in each Talent Search program are from low-income economic backgrounds and families where parents do not hold a bachelor’s degree. Talent Search provides these students with counseling as well as information about college admissions requirements, scholarships and various student financial aid programs so that they can better understand their educational opportunities and options. 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.
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 students with disabilities remove obstacles preventing them from thriving academically.
Talent Search at Clatsop Community College serves 671 6th-12th grade students annually from Knappa, Astoria, Warrenton and Seaside School Districts. Talent Search staff build relationships with students to help them succeed in school and start college with financial aid and scholarships said Jon Graves, Director of Talent Search at Clatsop Community College.
“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 guide students who are low-income and/or first-generation toward earning a degree,” 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.”
