Transforming Florida One Student at a Time (TSIC)

BY MAGGIE OLIVE KLEIN 

KONKLIFE STAFF WRITER AND EDITOR 

Take Stock in Children (TSIC) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to mentoring, cultivating college success, and granting scholarships statewide with a mission to “break the cycle of poverty for low-income, underrepresented, academically qualified students by providing opportunities for degree attainment through postsecondary education.” As said on their website, takestockinchildren.org. 

The program provides a transformative experience for 100% low-income youth in grades 6-12, through a combination of volunteer mentoring, college coaching, and a Florida Prepaid Project STARS Scholarship. Chuck Licis, TSIC Executive Director, says, “We run students through college and career readiness workshops starting in middle school, where we focus on study skills and test taking skills to get them ready for high school. We teach them about time management, and how to study effectively in order to be successful in the future.” He goes on to provide the steps that the program takes once the students get to high school. They provide students with a series of workshops on how to prepare for college, apply, write college essays, and apply for financial aid. For grades 11 and 12, students are focused on standardized tests, and the program readies them for college or any other alternative path each student may desire. 

A unique aspect of the program that Licis shared was organized college tours. He says, “We conduct three or four organized college tours in which students attend a full day admission tour, get to see the campus, and meet with alums of the program that go to said college. For most of our students, it’s their first time stepping foot on a college campus.” Licis goes on to explain that a majority of their students are first generation, and many of them don’t have the advantage that a lot of other people do, having been brought up in a family in which every member goes to college. That is where TSIC steps in, to help them navigate all of the ins and outs of the educational journey that they desire. 

Licis, when talking about the step-by-step help TCIS provides for students, says, “A lot of kids want to make a lot of money, but we also want to make sure that they will be happy and do what they enjoy for the rest of their lives. We help them find that path and discover that there are a myriad of jobs within each field.” The possibilities for each student are limitless, and TCIS is there to make sure that students are able to recognize their full potential and succeed in a field that they will enjoy. 

According to TSIC statistics, Class of 2022’s collective GPA= 3.661, 10% higher than the average GPA of the district’s class of 2022. 60% of the TSIC 2022 graduates will enroll directly in a 4-year university, and 40% of the TSIC 2022 graduates will register at a 2 or 4 year college, or a career technical college. 

72% of TSIC graduates have earned an associate’s degree, a bachelor’s degree, or a career certificate. Among the TSIC graduates from 2001-2017, nearly all enrolled in college!

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