TRIO Educational Talent Search provides college information and career guidance to disadvantaged high school and middle school students. The project is federally funded by the Department of Education and sponsored by Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. TRIO ETS Academic Advisors work in cooperation with the middle school and high school counselors and teachers with support from Utah Valley University administrators and target school administrators.
Student eligibility is based on federally defined criteria.
High schools that participate in TRIO ETS through UVU in the following cities:
TRIO Education Talent Search helps middle and high school students throughout the school year to promote academic skills and increase success later in higher education. These are just a few of the services we provide our students:
Provo High School
Jacqueline Alvarez joined Educational Talent Search in her junior year and quickly utilized many of the services offered by ETS. She regularly attended the group activities as well as the College Tour in 2022. She participated in the Education CTE track at Provo High School, taking courses that align with the teaching profession.
During her senior year, she has participated in an internship working with teachers at an elementary school. She plans to study Elementary Education at Utah Valley University and wants to become a teacher. She will be the first in her family to earn a bachelor’s degree.
Wasatch High School
Alan Velazquez joined TRIO ETS in 2022. He is a great example to all who know him. His hard work and determination have helped him to excel. He was born in California but at a very young age returned to Mexico. In middle school, he and his mother moved to Heber to have a better life.
Alan participated in concurrent enrollment classes in biology, math, financial literacy, and LIA (Latinos in Action) leadership. He completed three years of Spanish Bridge and studied Robotics and Automation. With a group of fellow students, he designed a website for both personal and professional use.
Alan is currently serving as the LIA historian and created an Instagram page with the vision that members would have a centralized place to preserve their history. As part of LIA, Alan participated in multiple service activities as well as volunteering to produce blankets for refugees.
While on a college tour with ETS, Alan was introduced to Snow College. He has since received a scholarship to Snow College and plans to attend this fall to complete his associate degree. He plans to further his studies at UVU or another university.
Timpview High School
Regan Sun is a junior at Timpview High School. He joined Educational Talent Search at the beginning of the 2022-2023 school year. He loves finance and investing and is planning to apply to the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania in the fall with hopes of earning a degree in Finance. He has competed in the DECA (Distributive Education Clubs of America) program throughout his high school career, placing fifth in State as a sophomore and third in State as a junior. He has taken four AP classes and is currently taking three more.
Regan has a podcast called “Not Yet Millionaires” that shares finance, business, and investing tips for youth, and he is also the President of Not Yet Millionaires Club at Timpview High School. He also competed in the Wharton Global Youth Finance Program in 2022, won the award for Best Rational Investing team, and plans to compete again this summer. Regan has also traveled to China several times since he was 12 to interpret for American Youth Leadership camp and parenting training impacting around 500 Chinese families.
TRIO Educational Talent Search (ETS)
