Mission
The Educational Talent Search mission is to promote opportunities for those seeking to pursue higher education and to provide educational support services to limited-income and first-generation, college bound students in six participating school districts, in Skagit, Snohomish, and Yakima counties.
The Educational Talent Search Program assists qualified youth who have the desire and potential to complete secondary school and enroll/re-enroll in a program of post-secondary education. The program provides guidance, access, and information on the processes of college admissions, financial aid, and scholarships available for post-secondary study. Educational Talent Search exposes its participants to the college environments with college visits, cultural enrichment activities, and career exploration. Talent Search motivates students in its target school communities to succeed in their educational aspirations.
The Educational Talent Search (ETS) program at the University of Washington is designed to:
- Identify qualified youth who are low-income and potential first-generation college students and to encourage them to complete high school and enroll in a post-secondary level education program.
- Publicize the availability of student financial assistance at the post-secondary level.
- Encourage persons who have not completed secondary or post-secondary education to re-enter these programs.
TRIO History
TRIO began with Upward Bound which emerged out of the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964, in response to the administration’s war on poverty. Soon after Talent Search was established. Talent Search was created as part of the Higher Education Act in 1965. In 1968 the Student Support Services was then established by the Higher Education Amendment which became the third in a series of Educational Opportunity Programs. Eventually in the 1960’s the term “TRIO” was used to describe these federal programs. Later on more programs were added making it eight programs in total, some of these programs are Upward bound Math-Science, Educational Opportunity centers, etc.
TRIO Talent Search History
Talent Search was established in 1965, in part of the Higher Education Act. Talent Search was created to help identity and assists individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds. This program helps provided academic, career, and financial counseling to its participants and encourages them to graduate from high school. The goal of Talent Search is to help increase the number of youth from disadvantaged backgrounds who complete high school and enroll in and complete their post-secondary education.
We Provide
UW TRIO ETS program provides a vast amount of free services to student participants, such as:
- Exposure to college campuses
- Information on post-secondary education
- Workshops for the families of participants
- Information on student financial assistance
- Assistance in preparing for college entrance exams
- Career exploration and aptitude assessment
- Assistance in completing college admissions and financial aid applications
- Academic, financial, career, or personal counseling including advice on entry or re-entry to secondary or post-secondary programs