Talent Search

Underrepresented students from four Orange County high schools are getting help and guidance to graduate and advance to college, thanks to a federally supported outreach program offered at Cal State Fullerton and students who once were in their shoes.

“The Talent Search Program helped me make sure I was on track to meet the requirements and deadlines for CSU and UC admissions and financial aid, as well as receive tutoring for my math class,” said Sheyla Peinder, a former Katella High School student and one of the program’s advisers working with students at her alma mater.

“Not only did the Talent Search Program help me, but it helped my parents understand what I had to do in order to get into college,” the sociology major explained. “The Talent Search Program helped me and my family ease the transition from high school to college.”

“I will be honest when I say that as a high school student, the only time I went to see my counselor was probably during my senior year because it was a big year for me,” said Iliana Romero, a psychology major who once attended Katella High School. “That is why it is great to have someone else out there to go to, like Talent Search. After high school, Talent Search was still there to help me though college.”

“Our program works with partner high schools, as well as community partners in a collaborative effort,” said Angel C. Hernandez, director of the program. “We work with approximately 600 students, beginning when they are freshmen and continuing until they graduate.”

Talent Search targets students with a number of challenges to a higher education — from poverty to low academic achievement and lack of academic support, low expectations and aspirations, and an inability to effectively engage and inform parents, said Hernandez.

“As a result, the majority of these students are not college eligible and do not pursue a higher education,” he said. “We focus on those challenges by offering academic advising and workshops on study skills, test taking and ACT/SAT preparation, as well as providing scholarship and career information, help with college and financial aid applications and tutoring.”

The program has received $230,000 in first-year funding as part of an anticipated five-year award from the U.S. Department of Education. The program initially began in the 1980s as the Mobile Higher Education Center, a van that traveled to 10 community locations each month to share information about the opportunities for and how to attend college. It became the Talent Search Program in 1991 and part of the U.S. Department of Education-supported TRIO outreach and student services programs.

“As a first-generation student to go to college, I was unaware of deadlines, paperwork and requirements I had to meet. But Talent Search was there the whole time helping, and I am very thankful for that,” said Christopher G. Peinder, a mechanical engineering major, serving as a student adviser. “Without them, who knows if I would have continued my education?

“Knowing we were part of our students' decision to continue on to a college or university is very rewarding to me, because I know they will become better people that will someday give back to the community,” he added.

The Talent Search Program works with students at Anaheim, Magnolia, Savanna and Katella high schools. Student advisers — many of whom were once helped by the program — work with the high school students on an individual basis.

“The program was there to help me get started with my goals, providing me a firsthand look of what college is and its atmosphere,” explained health science major Genesis Perez, whose goal is to earn a master’s degree in public health and work for the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. “Now, as a tutor, the experience is rewarding because you see the students you were helping at their high schools now becoming part of the college population.”

In addition to the tutoring and mentoring aspects of the program, a two-week summer program provides courses in a specific areas, as well as English training to 9th- and 10th-grade participants. This year’s program will focus on the STEM subjects  — science, technology, engineering and mathematics, said Hernandez.

For the last two years, Talent Search has offered a two-day boot camp for students entering their senior year. The August program helps students get ready for applying to college. “We have admissions officials discuss requirements and share information about taking the SAT or ACT tests,” said Hernandez. “This year, more than 30 students attended the camp.”

In addition, Talent Search students can attend campus tours and visits and take part in cultural enrichment activities.

“The purpose of Talent Search is to expose these students to the possibilities of a higher education and what it can mean for them,” added Hernandez.

Oct. 18, 2011