NMC conducted an open house for the Educational Talent Search, Upward Bound and Student Support Services programs from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Janice Tenorio, Student Support Services director, and Georgia Salas, Educational Talent Search outreach specialist, said more students, especially from the low income families, have availed of their programs.
The Student Support Services have 180 slots for each year but these have increased as more students have expressed interest in signing up with the program, she said.
Unlike the students with the Upward Bound Program, beneficiaries of the two other programs are not receiving monthly stipends.
But Tenorio said she will try to get a grant year for the stipends of students with the Student Support Services.
Students in the U.S. who are with the program are getting stipends, she added.
Salas said the open house aims to remind community members about the benefits they can get from the Educational Talent Search program.
“Trio programs benefit junior high and high school students,” she said.
The Education Talent Search program “identifies and assists individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds who have the potential to succeed in higher education, by providing academic, career, and financial counseling to its participants and encouraging them to graduate from high school and continue on to the postsecondary institution of their choice.”
The Student Support Services program “provides opportunities for academic development, assists students with basic college requirements, and serves to motivate students toward the successful completion of their postsecondary education.”
Upward Bound “provides fundamental support to participants in their preparation for college entrance by providing opportunities for its participants to succeed in their pre-college performance and ultimately in their higher education pursuits.”
The services they offer include academic advising, career exploration, standardized test preparation, tutoring, and assistance with college application.
For the Educational Talent Search program, Salas said they have 600 slots every year for sixth to 12th grade students.
Any person from the age of 11 to 27 who has not obtained a high school diploma can avail of the program, she added.
Upward Bound caters to ninth to 12th graders while the Student Support Services program is for college students.
These program are federally funded through a grant from the U.S. Department of Education.
