UHD : Bright Futures For Future First-Generation College Students Just Became Brighter

Press release from the University of Houston-Downtown:

October 07, 2021

A five-year $2.4 million grant recently awarded to the University of Houston-Downtown from the U.S. Department of Education will provide a major boost for future first-generation students seeking to make their college dreams a reality.

Through the federal grant, UHD’s Talent Search program will receive $485,407 annually through 2026 to assist those Aldine Independent School District students who would be the first in their families to earn a college degree. This grant would support these students in preparing for higher education and enrolling at a college or university.

The Talent Search program works in partnership with UHD’s University College to help Houston area students graduate from high school and then navigate their paths to college. The objective of the program is to identify and assist middle and high school students in need of support and resources to support their academic journeys.

“This program is aligned with UHD's reputation of increasing the number of youths from disadvantaged backgrounds who complete their postsecondary education,” said Dr. Brian Flores, Director of UHD’s Talent Search Program. “Our goal is to provide students with the necessary tools and knowledge needed to successfully graduate from high school with a rigorous program of study that will enable them to be successful in college.”

According to Flores, UHD Talent Search serves students at two of Aldine ISD’s middle schools and seven high schools. The UHD program is also the sixth largest Talent Search program in the state of Texas.

Flores said UHD’s program provides services to enhance academic progress through individual tutoring, mentoring, semester progress checks, and one-on-one counseling.

“It’s important to develop trusting relationships with these students and providing them opportunities to services and cultural awareness that they may not have had equal access to as their peers,” he added. “As we assist them through their college journey, we remind them that attaining their bachelor's degree can nearly double the lifetime wages of a high school graduate and help fill positions for society’s ever-changing workforce needs.”

In addition, the grant will allow UHD to continue to change the lives of students in the program by providing them free and unique opportunities including:

“UHD’s Talent Search program changes lives, and we are humbled to be entrusted with the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of the more than 2,000 middle and high school students that will be positively impacted by this program over the next five years,” said Dr. Scott Marzilli, Dean of UHD’s University College. “More importantly, our Talent Search students will gain the confidence and required skillset necessary to not only apply for college, but more successfully complete their college journey.”

Flores said it has been rewarding to experience the achievements of students in the program take place.

“We have partnered with Aldine ISD for the past 35 years with tremendous support from Aldine ISD superintendents and administration,” he said. “Our success stories include valedictorians, salutatorians, and students that were in the program and graduates with their degrees, along with many other students that that have attended Ivy League schools as well Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Hispanic Serving Institutions.”

Flores also praised the Talent Search staff and University College leaders for the program’s success.

“I am very fortunate to have the opportunity to work with an amazing staff and Dean Marzilli, Dean of UHD University College and his committed team,” he said. “Together we will embrace and assist low-income and first-generation middle and high school students to provide services that will motivate, generate, and equip this population of students with the necessary college readiness skills and educational guidance to enroll in, persist in, and attain a postsecondary degree.”

The Talent Search began nationwide in 1965 as part of President Lyndon Baines Johnson’s War on Poverty. It was the second of eight federal “TRIO” programs authorized by the Higher Education Act to help college students succeed in higher education. It recognizes that students whose parents do not have a college degree have more difficulties navigating the complexity of decisions that college requires for success, bolsters students from low-income families who have not had the academic opportunities that their college peers have had and helps remove barriers preventing students from thriving academically.

About the University of Houston-Downtown

The University of Houston-Downtown (UHD)—the second largest university in Houston—has served the educational needs of the nation’s fourth-largest city since 1974.

As one of four distinct public universities in the University of Houston System, UHD is a comprehensive four-year university led by President Loren J. Blanchard. Annually, UHD educates more than 15,000 students; boasts more than 60,000 alumni and offers 44 bachelor’s, nine master’s degree programs and 16 fully online programs within five colleges (Marilyn Davies College of Business; Humanities & Social Sciences; Public Service, Sciences & Technology; and University College).

UHD has the most affordable tuition among four-year universities in Houston and one of the lowest in Texas. The University is noted nationally as a Hispanic-Serving Institution, Minority-Serving Institution and Military Friendly School. For more on the University of Houston-Downtown, visit www.uhd.edu.

This press release was produced by the University of Houston-Downtown. The views expressed here are the author’s own.