The TRIO/Educational Talent Search Program at Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute recently inducted its newest class of students at a ceremony held at the J.E. Broyhill Civic Center in Lenoir.

One hundred nineteen students from middle and high schools across the county received their official welcome into the program.

TRIO/ETS at CCC&TI is a federally-funded program that works with middle and high school students, most of whom will be first-generation college students, to assist them with all aspects of college enrollment. Through the program, specialists employed by the college make weekly visits to area middle and high schools to serve students enrolled in the program. In addition, students are given the opportunity to visit colleges throughout the state, participate in various enrichment activities, and receive assistance from TRIO/ETS counselors with college applications, financial aid applications and other college-related issues.

Dr. David Shockley, CCC&TI’s executive vice president, welcomed students and family members to the event. Alice Lentz, director of TRIO Programs at CCC&TI, also spoke to those in attendance about the role that TRIO programs can play in students’ success.

Lentz introduced the TRIO First-Generation Statement Campaign and displayed the more than 700 statements that have been submitted within the last six years.

“The TRIO First-Generation Statement campaign engages TRIO (TRIO/SSS and TRIO/ETS) participants publicly to state their hopes for college success and their dreams for inspiring others,” Lentz said.

Four new TRIO/ETS participants were invited to share aloud their TRIO First-Generation Statements. Madison Coffey (Gamewell Middle) Katie Davenport (William Lenoir Middle), Madison Lowder (Kings Creek School) and Emily Tellez (Granite Falls Middle) shared their goals of attending and graduating from college. TRIO staff members Jonathan Bryant, Kara Richardson and Mitzi Triplett also shared their personal statements on their college journeys.

TRIO Youth Leadership League members, Brytny Hudson, Richard Hathcock and Ashley Spears presented a slide show on their trip to Boston and Cambridge, Mass. The trip. which took place in July, allowed six high school juniors and seniors from across the county to visit Harvard University, Boston University, the Freedom Trail and attend a Boston Red Sox baseball game. TRIO administrators hope that trips like this one and others to area colleges and universities will help local students envision new futures for themselves and discover more possibilities for continuing their education.

Current TRIO/ETS seniors were recognized and given the Go Anywhere! Award application and the G. Lewis Bernhardt Scholarship application, a privately endowed scholarship reserved for TRIO/ETS participants.

In fall 2009, 83 percent of TRIO/ETS seniors who graduated in June enrolled in 23 public and private colleges across North Carolina and along the East Coast.

The 2009 TRIO/ETS inductees pictured above are:

Destanee Andres, Gamewell Middle School; Ashley Arney, Granite Falls Middle School; Nicholas Bell, Collettsville Elementary School; Travis Bentley, Gamewell Middle School; Hannah Biggins, Granite Falls Middle School; Kayla Bowman, Happy Valley Elementary School; Nathaniel Bowman, William Lenoir Middle School; Shaniah Boyce, Gamewell Middle School; Ashley Branham, Granite Falls Middle School; Raven Broyhill, Granite Falls Middle School; William Bryant, Hudson Middle School; Tiffany Bumgarner, Granite Falls Middle School; Bryan Cannon, Hudson Middle School; Maryann Carswell, Kings Creek Elementary School; Bethony Causby, Oak Hill Elementary School; Gabbie Chandler, Gamewell Middle School; Ethan Chapman, Granite Falls Middle School; Destiny Chatham, William Lenoir Middle School; Cheyenne Church, Hudson Middle School; Kendall Church, Granite Falls Middle School; Candance Coffey, Collettsville Elementary School; Chelsea Coffey, Gamewell Middle School; Madison Coffey, Gamewell Middle School; Siera Coffey, Collettsville Elementary School; Gloria Coffin, South Caldwell High School; Anthony Cohee, Hudson Middle School; Anna Cook Bennett, Granite Falls Middle School; Garry Crotts, Gamewell Middle School; Katelin Davenport, William Lenoir Middle School; Michael Davidson, Granite Falls Middle School; Geonea Davis, Granite Falls Middle School; Blake Day, Granite Falls Middle School; Heather DeVier, South Caldwell High School; Hannah Duncan, Granite Falls Middle School; Julia Duncan, Granite Falls Middle School; Maggie Duncan, Granite Falls Middle School; Zac Duncan, South Caldwell High School; Katelyn Earp, Kings Creek Elementary School; Brittany Edminsten, Happy Valley Elementary School; Keelin Eno, Gamewell Middle School; Morgan Faries William Lenoir Middle School; Ava Fillers Collettsville Elementary School; Melinda Gragg, Hudson Middle School; Noah Gragg, Collettsville Elementary School; JaQueisha Gray, Gamewell Middle School; Dallas Greene, Granite Falls Middle School; Taylor Greer, Happy Valley Elementary School; Autumn Haas, Collettsville Elementary School; Meagan Hall, Granite Falls Middle School; Caleb Harmon, Kings Creek Elementary School; Kristen Hefner, Gamewell Middle School; Aleesha Hendrix, Hudson Middle School; Brooke Hendrix, Hudson Middle School; Mary Holgerson, Hudson Middle School; Jacob Houck, Gamewell Middle School; Sarah Hughes, South Caldwell High School; Dinira Hurtado, Gamewell Middle School; Summer Isaacs, Happy Valley Elementary School; Kyrstee Jackson, Oak Hill Elementary School; Hailey Jensen, Oak Hill Elementary School; Kayla Jo Johnson, Gamewell Middle School; Kelsey Johnson, Gamewell Middle School; Caylee Keller, Happy Valley Elementary School; Kristeena Keller, Gamewell Middle School; Ethan King, Hudson Middle School; Travis Land, Happy Valley Elementary School; Orosmel Lazo Jr., William Lenoir Middle School; Madison Lowder, Kings Creek Elementary School; Ashley Lowry, Collettsville Elementary School; Murphy Liu, Hibriten High School; Caitlin MacWilliams, Collettsville Elementary School; Kaytlyn Maple Kings Creek Elementary School; Destiny Marley, Gamewell Middle School; Tyler Martin, Collettsville Elementary School; Kaitlyn Maye, Happy Valley Elementary School; Timothy McCracken II, Collettsville Elementary School; Haley McGee, Granite Falls Middle School; Tylor Moore, Collettsville Elementary School; Dylan Nichols, Happy Valley Elementary School; Megan Nicholson, Gamewell Middle School; Kaitlyn Oaks, Collettsville Elementary School; Ashley Pelfrey, South Caldwell High School; Vada Perkins Jr., Gamewell Middle School; Marcus Perry, Oak Hill Elementary School; Bailey Presnell, Happy Valley Elementary School; Tyler Pipes, Collettsville Elementary School; Bradley Poarch, Kings Creek Elementary School; Brianna Porter, Collettsville Elementary School; Kristina Price, Gamewell Middle School; Kristyanna Ramsamooj, South Caldwell High School; Marcus Rash, Kings Creek Elementary School; Victoria Reece, Happy Valley Elementary School; Hannah Robbins, Collettsville Elementary School; Lanie Sanders, Happy Valley Elementary School; Leatha Sanders, Gamewell Middle School; Morgan Seagle, Hudson Middle School; Austin Sigler, South Caldwell High School; Makaylah Sparks, William Lenoir Middle School; Brittany Smith, Oak Hill Elementary School; Elijah Smith, Granite Falls Middle School; Brittany Staton, Happy Valley Elementary School; Noah Stewart, Oak Hill Elementary School; Morgan Tarr, Kings Creek Elementary School; Emily Tellez, Granite Falls Middle School; Kitssia Tobias, Collettsville Elementary School; Heather Tomlinson, Kings Creek Elementary School; Jaci Triplett, Collettsville Elementary School; Aaron Townsend, Hudson Middle School; Tiffany Truesdale, Hudson Middle School; Martha Vences, Gamewell Middle School; Grayson Walker, Gamewell Middle School; Alaina Wallace, South Caldwell High School; Brittani Ward, Hudson Middle School; Austin Watson, Oak Hill Elementary School; Brooke Wilcox, Kings Creek Elementary School; Jacob Wilson, Granite Falls Middle School; Jordan Winebarger, Hudson Middle School; Marquiya Witherspoon, William Lenoir Middle School; Jordan Zuzolo, Hudson Middle School