Miami, Oct. 13, 2021 – Miami Dade College’s (MDC) North Campus has been awarded a Talent Search Grant from the U.S. Department of Education in the amount of $1,386,000 to support disadvantaged youth to obtain a college education. The program, which starts this month, will serve 500 middle and high school students from Miami Central High School, Miami Norland Sr. High School, North Miami Beach Sr. High School, and Norland Middle School.
Created in 1965, Talent Search, which is among the TRIO family of grants funded under President Lyndon B. Johnson to combat the “war of poverty,” identifies and assists individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds who have the potential to succeed in higher education. The program encourages low-income, first-generation students to graduate from high school, pursue and complete a postsecondary education. Participants receive academic, career, and financial counseling including assistance with FASFA and college applications.
“We are beyond ecstatic to have received this grant,” said Fermin Vazquez, North Campus Interim President. “The services and support this program will provide will further augment the great work we are doing with our schools and community to increase college attendance.”
MDC North Campus is now the first campus in MDC’s history to offer all three original TRIO Programs – Upward Bound, Talent Search and Student Support Services — at once. MDC has continuously secured TRIO grant funding helping bridge the equity and achievement gap for the College’s underserved students, with its Student Support Services program now in its 17th year and fourth funding cycle due to its success.
The U.S. Congress established the TRIO Programs under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to help low-income Americans enter college, graduate and move on to participate more fully in the United States’ economic and social life. Started with only three programs, hence the name ‘TRIO’, since 1968 TRIO has been expanded to provide a wider range of services. Today, eight programs are included under the TRIO umbrella, serving more than 800,000 students at close to 1,400 colleges and universities throughout the U.S. For more information, visit https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/trio/index.html.
For more information about the Talent Search Grant, please contact Dr. Michelle Currie at 305-237-1438.