GREENEVILLE – As Educational Talent Search celebrates its 50th year at Tusculum University, leaders and advisors in this program are beginning the school year excited to continue serving middle school and high school students in the region.
Gracie Monk, who participated in Talent Search before going to college, speaks at Tusculum during a TRIO Day event.
Talent Search serves students whose parents or guardians do not have a bachelor’s degree and who meet income-eligibility requirements. The program provides several events and services and one-on-one guidance, all of which are designed to encourage students to enroll in college.
As part of the federal TRIO programs, Talent Search is funded through a grant. The program recently received continuing support from the U.S. Department of Education with a $640,000 allocation for the next year.
“Everyone in our Talent Search program values the opportunity to help disadvantaged students aim higher and imagine an impactful future as a professional with a college degree,” said Dr. David Smith, executive director of TRIO programs at Tusculum. “We have watched children blossom and make a profound difference in their chosen profession and in the community after participating in Talent Search. We are extraordinarily proud of what we have achieved in the last 50 years and look forward to transforming lives well into the future.”
Tusculum’s Talent Search program has two federal grants that enable it to serve students in Carter, Cocke, Greene and Unicoi counties. Tusculum received the first grant in 1976 and the second one in 2002.
Congresswoman Diana Harshbarger, a Republican whose district includes all of these counties and the university, supported the allocation from the Department of Education. She said she is proud of the work conducted by Tusculum and others who received grants from the department to assist first-generation, income-eligible students in preparing for college.
Congresswoman Diana Harshbarger speaks with students in the TRIO program, including those with Talent Search, during an appearance at Tusculum in 2025.
“My office heard directly from constituents in Johnson City, Greeneville and across our district who were worried about what changes to this program would mean for their students, and we made sure the U.S. Department of Education understood how much this funding matters here,” she said.
Dr. Scott Hummel, Tusculum’s president, welcomed the outcome.
“Our Talent Search program makes a profound difference by helping students recognize the value of going to college and becoming career-ready,” he said. “We are thrilled the Department of Education has funded our program. Congresswoman Harshbarger has been a tremendous champion for Talent Search and our other TRIO programs, and we are extraordinarily grateful for her assistance to secure this funding.”
Tusculum serves more than 1,200 students in Talent Search, and that number is expected to grow to 1,300. Among the services the program provides are:
- Academic, financial, career and personal counseling
- Career exploration and aptitude assessment
- Tutoring
- Information on colleges and exposure to college campuses
- Assistance in completing college admissions and financial aid applications
- Mentoring
One of the programs Talent Search offers to middle school students is a daylong program that prepares them for the environment and requirements of high school. Seventh and eighth graders from Cocke County earned first place performances in statewide and Southeast region academic competitions in 2025.
Those who have participated in Talent Search have proceeded to carve out careers in multiple fields, including becoming medical professionals, lawyers and educators.
Heather Tunnell, director of Talent Search in the eastern counties, said it is meaningful for her to equip students with the knowledge to envision a future in college so they can achieve their goals. She has worked in Talent Search for 27 years and serves students at Chuckey-Doak Middle School, North Greene Middle School and North Greene High School.
She said everyone is glad to have the funding from the federal government to continue assisting students.
“Several students who went through the program say it was the best thing they ever did,” she said. “They loved everything about the program. That helped propel them to go to college and pursue dreams they might not have otherwise if it hadn’t been for the program.”
Sandi Bible, left, speaks with Talent Search students at a program to prepare them for high school.
Sandi Bible, an advisor for Talent Search, serves students at South Greene, West Greene and Happy Valley high schools. She has worked in Talent Search for 22 years. She said the greatest reward she has experienced in Talent Search is seeing the potential in students that they might not recognize. These students just need some nurturing and to have someone in their corner, she said.
“A student may not realize that different postsecondary education opportunities are available to them, as well as career choices, scholarships or community service opportunities, simply because they have never been exposed to them,” Bible said. “That’s where Educational Talent Search is so important. We provide exposure, information, encouragement and opportunities that can open a student’s eyes to possibilities they may never have considered.”
Additional information about Talent Search is available at https://site.tusculum.edu/student-success/academic-affairs/first-gen/talent-search/. To learn more about the university, please visit www.tusculum.edu.