Beginning Monday June 3, Wallace Community College – Selma (WCCS) will host its annual Talent Search Summer Camp, the continuation of a program operated throughout the school year in schools across the region.

The program is being organized by WCCS Retention Coordinator Corey Bowie, who also serves as Student Government Association (SGA) Advisor and Program Recruiter for the school, said the program is aimed at keeping students engaged over the summer.

“You have to keep students engaged academically during the summer months,” Bowie said. “Often they think about vacation and everything else, but we want to make sure we keep them engaged and offer them cultural opportunities.”

The camp, which has been ongoing for more than 15 years, is open to students between 7^th and 11^th grade and will operate daily from 8 a.m. until noon throughout the month of June.

Students will take part in math, science, career assessment and computer sciences courses, with cultural enrichment trips scheduled every Thursday and speakers slated for each Friday.

“Our main objective is to make sure they remain in school and, after graduating, they get into some kind of post-secondary school, whether it’s a community college or a four-year program or a technical school,” Bowie said.

Along with the daily classes, younger students will receive training in study skills and self-esteem, while older students will be tasked with adhering to a more “rigorous” schedule.

“[This program] is important for them to basically set the direction of their lives and set that direction academically and socially,” Bowie said. “We’re equipping them with one of the most important assets in life, an education.”

Applications can be picked up at WCCS or any partnering school, which includes all middle and high schools in the area. For more information, contact Bowie at corey.bowie@wccs.edu or 334-876-9290.