Talent Development celebrates 40 years
Chloe Thompson
Issue date: 4/2/08 Section: News
He added that the job of the Talent Development program is far from over.
"The struggle continues for opportunity, for education and for jobs," he said. "This can be a big place if you arrive here thinking you won't be successful."
Within the Talent Development program is the Guaranteed Admissions Program, whose 20th anniversary is also this week. The Talent Development program took over the administration of GAP in 2004, a year before Joanna Ravello, assistant director for Providence Talent Development programs at URI, came on board with five years of experience.
The GAP program works with students from middle school to high school at the same urban schools the Talent Development program works with, including Central Falls Senior High School, Hope High School in Providence and Charles E. Shea Senior High School in Pawtucket.
"We have parallel tracks," Ravello said of the two programs.
Her job with the Talent Development program also obligates her to serve as the assistant director of GAP, and said the biggest problem the program faces is funding, which she said she imagines has not changed within the past two decades.
"We have to make sure we have adequate staff and we can support students academically and provide enrichment opportunities," she said.
Some of these opportunities include Rhode Island Department of Transportation-funded activities surrounding civil engineering education called TRAC PAC, and "field trips" to places of educational value, such as museums.
"These are all just to groom them now and get them ready for college," Ravello said. "This is very much what our track is, exposing them to people, ideas and opportunities they wouldn't meet otherwise."
The GAP encompasses an entire summer, though students can elect to take only one of the two-week plans.
The first of the two is Bridges, where students learn leadership skills while partnered with mentors from URI. Ravello said this could include community service work or team-building exercises.
"The struggle continues for opportunity, for education and for jobs," he said. "This can be a big place if you arrive here thinking you won't be successful."
Within the Talent Development program is the Guaranteed Admissions Program, whose 20th anniversary is also this week. The Talent Development program took over the administration of GAP in 2004, a year before Joanna Ravello, assistant director for Providence Talent Development programs at URI, came on board with five years of experience.
The GAP program works with students from middle school to high school at the same urban schools the Talent Development program works with, including Central Falls Senior High School, Hope High School in Providence and Charles E. Shea Senior High School in Pawtucket.
"We have parallel tracks," Ravello said of the two programs.
Her job with the Talent Development program also obligates her to serve as the assistant director of GAP, and said the biggest problem the program faces is funding, which she said she imagines has not changed within the past two decades.
"We have to make sure we have adequate staff and we can support students academically and provide enrichment opportunities," she said.
Some of these opportunities include Rhode Island Department of Transportation-funded activities surrounding civil engineering education called TRAC PAC, and "field trips" to places of educational value, such as museums.
"These are all just to groom them now and get them ready for college," Ravello said. "This is very much what our track is, exposing them to people, ideas and opportunities they wouldn't meet otherwise."
The GAP encompasses an entire summer, though students can elect to take only one of the two-week plans.
The first of the two is Bridges, where students learn leadership skills while partnered with mentors from URI. Ravello said this could include community service work or team-building exercises.
