Broward College Awarded Two TRIO Talent Search Grants to Help Low-Income First Generation College Students Access Higher Education

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (March 17, 2022) –  Broward College received two TRIO Talent Search grants of almost $3 million from the U.S. Department of Education to help more low-income students who would be the first members of their families to earn degrees, prepare for and enroll in college.

In its first-ever Talent Search grants, Broward College and its collaborative partner, Broward County Public Schools (BCPS), will conduct two projects, titled Project ASPIRE (Aspiring Students towards Post-secondary Institutions through Resources and Empowerment) that will serve Boyd H. Anderson High School, Northeast High School, Sun Fire High School, Lauderdale Lakes Middle and Lauderhill 6-8, and Project REACH (Realizing Educational Access for College and Higher) that will serve Dillard High School, Plantation High School, Sunrise High School and Parkway Middle School. These schools were selected due to the tremendous lack of resources, poverty, low education attainment, and unemployment rates experienced in these communities.  They are also zip codes in which the College is already providing direct support to residents through its expanded business model, Broward UP™.  Each project will serve 500 students every year.

As one of the eight Federal TRIO Programs authorized by the Higher Education Act, Talent Search identifies and assists middle and high school students who have the potential to succeed in higher education. The students will receive counseling and have access to college and financial application assistance, college entrance test preparation, and career exploration so that they can better understand their educational options. Both projects will also conduct online project-based STEM learning activities, connect students to tutoring and other services, and promote dual enrollment and industry-recognized certification training in the Broward UP communities.  According to the U.S. Department of Education, after participating in a Talent Search program, approximately 80% of participants enroll in a post-secondary institution immediately following graduation.

"We want to help facilitate the community change desperately needed to break the cycle of poverty among the students and their parents in our Broward UP communities,” said Dr. Mildred Coyne at Broward College. "Broward College is dedicated to improving the communities it serves. As systemic inequity and financial hardship discourage many of the students from these communities, these programs will remove obstacles preventing students from succeeding academically."

The goals of the projects are to improve secondary persistence, participation in a rigorous educational curriculum and on-time graduation, as well as enrollment in a post-secondary program and completion of the program within six years. These projects will inspire every student to take charge of their future by completing their education beyond the high school level.

Click to read Spanish version of press release.

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