Services aimed at getting students ready for college are available for up to 500 students at South Tahoe Middle and High schools through a Lake Tahoe Community College federally funded grant program.

The Department of Education grant consists of $230,000 a year for five years to provide services to 500 low-income, first generation college-bound students at the middle and high schools.

The types of services offered through the TRiO Educational “Talent Search” include academic, career, and financial aid counseling, tutoring, assistance in preparing for college entrance exams and completing college admissions applications, and exposure to postsecondary campuses, cultural events, and other academic programs.

Services include: tutoring, academic, financial, and career guidance, workshops to develop skills for success, trips to four-year schools and cultural events, and workshops for parents in English and Spanish to provide information and support.

Each of these services is designed to prepare and motivate students to complete middle school and high school and go on to college. All of the program services are free to qualified students. Applications are available online.

For more information, call Erika Franco at STHS Career Center (530) 541.4111, ext. 400 or email franco@ltcc.edu, or Lisa Utzig Schafer at STMS, (530) 541.6404, ext. 243 or utzigschafer@ltcc.edu.