Educational Talent Search

About Talent Search

Counties served

• Bath
• Carter
• Elliott
• Greenup
• Johnson
• Lewis
• Magoffin
• Menifee
• Morgan
• Powell
• Rowan

Our Mission Statement

The mission of MSU Talent Search Programs is to assist qualified youth who have the desire and potential to complete secondary school and attaining post-secondary education through academic support, personal enrichment and college and career exploration.

Those selected for this program receive services in four major areas: academic counseling, career counseling, financial counseling and personal counseling. These services help ensure graduation from high school and successful placement in the college or university of their choice. Talent Search also serves high school dropouts by encouraging them to re-enter the educational system and complete their high school diploma or earn their GED.

Who may apply?

Anyone who has completed five years of elementary education or is at least 11 years of age and demonstrates the potential for success in education at the postsecondary level.

Services offered

We offer an array of services to help our students achieve their educational goals:

• Academic Activities: cultural and academic field trips and free ACT fee waivers.
• Career Counseling: career interest inventory, business and industry tours, college campus visits, career exploration planning activities, mock interviews and mentoring.
• Educational Counseling: critical thinking exercises, financial literacy, learning skills exploration, needs assessments, study skills inventory, secondary and post-secondary orientation, test-taking strategies and ACT preparation.
• Financial Aid Counseling: scholarship information, how to get a job, budget management, assistance with post-secondary admission, financial aid search and completion of FAFSA application.
• Mentoring: Morehead State University Talent search conducts a summer mentoring program for graduating seniors. The summer intervention will consist of texting all graduating seniors periodically during the summer to inform and remind them about starting college in the fall.
• Personal Counseling: personal inventories, anger management, goal setting, social skills enhancement, stress management, values clarification, one-on-one academic guidance and tutoring.
• Technology Activities: financial aid and scholarship inquiries and KEES inquiries.
• Tutoring: Morehead State University Talent Search offers reading tutoring for 8th-grade talent search participants in designated schools in the talent search service region. Reading tutoring sessions will be 30-40 minutes weekly for 6-7 months. Talent search students will be offered homework assistance and individual academic advising.

What is TRIO?

TRiO programs are federal outreach and student services programs designed to identify and provide services for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds. TRiO includes exit programs that serve and assist low-income individuals, first-generation college students and individuals with disabilities to progress through the academic pipeline from middle school to post-baccalaureate programs. TRiO also includes a training program for directors and staff of TRiO projects.

Parent Information

Visit The Parenting Institute for resources to help busy parents and guardians support their student and engage in learning.

Scholarship Information

• KHEAA Scholarship
• SAEOPP Scholarship
• KAEOPP & Susan Adams Leadership Scholarship