CYC's Talent Search is 20 Years Strong
In 1991 the average bill for one year at a public state college was
$5,248, the average Pell Grant Award
amount was $1,449 and Cincinnati Youth Collaborative (CYC) implemented
its first Talent Search (TS) program, a federally funded program to
assist students with college access services.
Today, 20 years later, the average one year cost of post-secondary
attendance has more than tripled to
$16,140 for students attending four-year public colleges and
universities and the average Pell Grant
award is $3,705. While the cost of higher education has certainly
changed, some things have remained constant, reflects James R. Cullen,
CYC Director of College Access programs, “In my years as a practitioner,
I've found three major factors that influence each student's path to
college: 1) academic foundation, 2) financial aid and 3) personal
motivation.”
He continues, “Of course there are common steps and activities, but each
student’s journey, determination and obstacles are somewhat unique. TS
advisors customize the program’s services to meet our participants’
needs.”
Academic Foundation
Academic foundation means the student has taken the necessary,
academically rigorous
college preparatory coursework. If not, students can still be accepted
to college, but they will be using their finite financial aid dollars to
pay for remedial classes.
One example of academic support is the cross-age tutoring services that
Talent Search offers at Gilbert A. Dater High School. “When Principal
Stephen Sippel challenged us to help the 7th graders who were struggling
in math, I suggested recruiting Dater upperclassmen, who perform
community service through the school’s ‘CAUSE’ class, to tutor the
younger students”, notes James.
University of Cincinnati Clermont College professors Dr. Frank Fitch and
Dr. Long Tran volunteered their
educational expertise to instruct selected Dater juniors and seniors in
cutting-edge tutoring techniques. Math- and English-proficient tutors
were matched with targeted 7th graders who opted out of gym, art and
music classes to attend tutoring for 45 minutes on Tuesdays and
Thursdays.
Dater 7th grader, Shay Wright, reports that, “Since I have been in
tutoring, my grades have gone up at least one level. When I don’t
understand something in class, the tutors and Mr. Cullen help me to
understand it more clearly.”
“It has been refreshing to see our students show a genuine interest in helping their peers succeed,” shares Principal Sippel.
Crystal Smith, TS advisor at Woodward Career Technical High School, has
been co-sponsoring, in partnership with the Urban League, a week-long
ACT Test Prep Workshop for Woodward juniors.
Students were given insight into strategies and best practices to
improve scores on the college entrance exam and practiced each one of
the five parts of the ACT test: math, science, English, reading, and
writing. Participants learned how the ACT is scored and that the key to
doing well is recognizing the best answer, using only the information
provided, in the least amount of time.
A workshop evaluation survey revealed that participating students felt
more prepared for the ACT test, and 100% of students said they would
recommend the workshop for next year’s students.
Talent Search student Marlon Jones is a junior in the Building
Technology track at Woodward. Marlon, along with 11th graders throughout
the Cincinnati Public School district, took the ACT on April 27. As
students await their results, Marlon shares, “I really felt like I was
prepared for the ACT. I’m confident my score will reflect that.”
Financial Aid
Financial Aid helps students pay educational expenses for college,
including tuition and fees, room and board, books, supplies, etc. TS
advisors help participants apply for grants (federal, state and local),
scholarships, and when necessary, loans to cover their college
attendance costs. Woodward senior, Ray Jean Ranford, has participated in
Talent Search since 2009. Ray Jean has relied heavily on her TS
advisors to help navigate the financial aid application process.
“I had no idea where to begin with the financial aid process and
scholarship applications,” admits Ray Jean. “Ms. Crystal helped me every
step of the way.”
Ray Jean plans to enroll at Cincinnati State in the fall, and hopes to become an executive assistant.
Personal Motivation
Every student who joins CYC Talent Search wants to go to college. In
addition to helping participants navigate career exploration,
admissions and financial processes, TS advisors help students develop
the personal motivation necessary to successfully transition to
post-secondary education. One of our “Best Practice” methods for
reinforcing motivation is the Talent Search program’s college visits. As
students progress through the program, they’ll have the opportunity to
visit large public universities, small private colleges, HBCUs
(Historically Black Colleges and Universities) and community colleges.
“It’s all about finding the right fit,” explains James, “The college
where you feel most comfortable and, of course, the college that offers
the most generous financial aid package!”
This year CYC took Talent Search Ambassadors-student leaders who help to
publicize the program and encourage other participants to meet
application timelines/deadlines- on a spring break college trip to St.
Louis and visited St. Louis University, Washington University and the
University of Missouri, St. Louis.
TS Ambassador and Woodward sophomore, Eric Marshal stated, “Our time in
St. Louis has been excellent. We have explored a broad and wide array of
colleges. Talent Search is a great program that will help high school
kids become future college students and figure out what they want to do
as a career option."
James R. Cullen is the Director of College Access for Cincinnati Youth Collaborative and has worked with
first-generation, college-bound high school students for nearly 20 years.
