Talent Search is a federally funded TRiO program administered by Communities In Schools through the U.S. Department of Education. The primary goal of Talent Search is to assist participants in the successful completion of high school and to enroll in post-secondary education programs. Talent Search Counselors work with a total of 600 high school students at several schools in Charlotte.  Two-thirds of the students must be low income, the first in their family to attend college, and exhibit the desire and potential to successfully pursue post-secondary education.  

Participants prepare for post-secondary education through workshops and events that focus on career exploration, college preparation, and social and cultural development. Activities include college campus tours, SAT/ACT preparation, career exploration, and cultural enrichment. Additionally, assistance is provided to students to research and select colleges, complete college admissions applications and financial aid forms, as well as scholarship applications. Counselors work with students assisting them with the transition from high school to college, through their first semester in college.  

To learn more about the Talent Search program, where services are offered, and enrollment criteria, contact Mary Alice Katon, Director of TRiO/Talent Search Programming.

Safe Journey and the Adolescent Parenting Program (APP)

Additional college access and career readiness programming is available for teen mothers who are enrolled in the CIS Safe Journey and the Adolescent Parenting Program (APP). To learn more about these services, contact Judy Sanders-Bull, Director of Safe Journey/APP.

Additional college access and career readiness programming is available for teen mothers who are enrolled in the CIS Safe Journey and the Adolescent Parenting Program (APP). To learn more about these services, contact Judy Sanders-Bull, Director of Safe Journey/APP.

Students enrolled in a CIS-sponsored program are invited to apply for scholarships made available by several generous supporters, including the ThinkCOLLEGE® fund, the Patricia Fields Scholarship Fund sponsored by Myers Park Presbyterian Church, and a number of other scholarship funds. Recipients are chosen based on motivation, financial need, and academic achievement.

Communities In Schools in partnership with Central Piedmont Community College (CPCC) offers a six-week program in which students are enrolled in classes based upon their performance on a placement test given at CPCC. The purpose of the Summer Bridge Program at CPCC is to give students an opportunity to successfully transition from high school to college in a closed, structured, and supervised environment. The goal of this program is to make students more aware of what is expected of them in college and what will be expected of them in the real world.