College prep programs have longevity in Edgecombe

KIMBERLY BELLAMY

Each year students in Edgecombe have gained academic assistance on the weekends or over the summer from Educational Talent Search (ETS) and Upward Bound since 1970 and 1987, respectively.

The program director Antonio Stephens recently shared some of the highlights of the programs with Edgecombe County School Board members.

ETS served 300 students in grades 6-12 during 2008-09, and 23 students were served at the high schools in Upward Bound during the same time span.

Both programs have a focus on educating students, and prepping them for secondary education.

ETS targets students that belong to families with neither parent having a college degree, and an income under $33,000.

Upward Bound allows students to receive instruction in subjects such as math, literature, composition and science on a college campus on the weekends during the summer. The main location that students attend classes is at St. Augustine’s College in Raleigh.

“We don’t recruit for St. Augustine’s. The students can go anywhere they would like to go,” Stephens said.

The time has recently been split between a community college and four year college during the summer portion.

“This year we had two weeks at Edgecombe Community College so they can get a feel for a community college setting, and a non-residential setting,” Stephens said.

The students still spent three weeks on campus at St. Augustine’s.

“We want them to be acclimated to a college setting,” Stephens said.

Devine Eatmon, senior at North Edgecombe, has been involved in Upward Bound since his freshman year and said the program has better prepared him for his high school coursework as well as college.

“When I get back to school, we’ve already taken those courses so it puts us ahead,” Eatmon said about the summer instructional help.

“It really gives you a picture of how your college life will look in the future.”

Eatmon’s mother, Wanda Eatmon, 39, didn’t complete her undergraduate education at St. Augustine’s, the college she began after high school, but did cite the benefits of the program.

“I was getting help on Saturdays so when I went back on Monday, I wasn’t getting so far behind,” she said.

During Stephens’ presentation to the board, board member Theresa Bryant mentioned her past involvement in the program.

“It’s an excellent program, and I want to commend you for the work you do,” Bryant said.

“We have a history of our students, from not only one semester to the next, but one year to the next going on and preparing for college,” Stephens said.

ETS is offered in Nash, Edgecombe, Halifax, Martin, North Hampton, Vance, Franklin and Warren counties. Upward Bound is offered in Nash, Edgecombe, and Southeast Halifax counties.

ETS and Upward Bound are two of multiple TRIO programs established and funded by Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965.

Trio programs have expanded to more than 1,000 secondary educational institutions across America, the Caribbean, and Pacific Islands, serving low-income first generation potential college students.

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