Welcome to the Educational Opportunity Center
Gulf Coast State College's Educational Opportunity Center is a federal TRiO grant program that assists low-income and first-generation participants with enrolling or staying enrolled in higher education.
Mission
The Educational Opportunity Center at Gulf Coast State College strives to provide Bay, Gulf, and Franklin county residents with the financial, academic, admissions, and economic literacy assistance they need to enroll, or remain enrolled, in postsecondary education.
GRANT AWARD
GCSC was awarded a Fiscal Year 2021 Educational Opportunity Center grant on August 25th, 2021. That award (P066A210096) runs from 09/01/2021 till 08/31/2026 and is budgeted to receive approximately $272,753.00 annually. Please note, too, that the Educational Opportunity Center’s program costs are 100% financed by federal money and all services are provided free of charge to participants.
Eligibility
- First-Generation, i.e., whether your supporting parent(s) earned a four-year bachelor's degree
- Low-Income, based on federal guidelines
- Other federal criteria, such as being a U.S. citizen, permanent resident, or an eligible non-citizen
- Desire to enter or continue a program of post-secondary education, which includes
public or private:
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Colleges
- Universities
- Technical Schools
- Vocational Schools
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- Adults (19 years of age or older)
- Anyone less than 19 years of age who is not being served by a Talent Search project
- Veterans
- Individuals who were in foster care after reaching age 13
- Those who are homeless or at-risk of homelessness
SERVICES
As a participant, the Educational Opportunity Center offers you assistance with:
- Information on educational institutions across the United States
- Completion of college or vocational/technical admissions applications
- Advice on establishing residency for tuition & fee purposes
- Application Fees, i.e., we can pay or waive on your behalf
- Transferring to an upper-level college or university
- Explanation of the financial aid process
- Completing and filing financial aid forms, such as the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
- Information about how to apply for a college work-study position
- Assessments to discover your career interests
- Discussion of careers that match your interests and aptitude
- Information on colleges & vocational/technical programs related to your interests
- Information on selected careers, including job descriptions, employments trends and wage forecasts
- Information on obtaining recognized postsecondary credentials through the demonstration of prior knowledge and skills, such as competency-based learning
- Information about the GED
- Signing up for GED.com
- Voucher Codes, so you can test for free
- Ad-hoc tutoring, including a Part-Time Tutor who focuses on helping you pass each exam
- Scheduling in-person testing, i.e., you can take your GED exams at GCSC's Testing Center!
- Ad-hoc tutoring (at SUW 82) on various subjects, such as:
- Mathematics
- English/Language Arts
- Civics/Social Studies
- Science
- Advice on budgeting, saving, and managing money
- Information on Social Welfare programs, e.g., BayWay's OnDemand+
- Finance counseling, e.g., what does "Cost of Attendance" mean?
Workshops
EOC STAFF CONTACT INFORMATION
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Lisa Fritch, Assistant Director (850) 769-1551 ext. 4074; afritch@gulfcoast.edu |
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Nicci McEwen, Educational Resource Advisor (850) 769-1551 ext. 4073; tmcewen@gulfcoast.edu |
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Sierra Watson, Educational Resource Advisor (850) 769-1551 ext. 5813; swatson22@gulfcoast.edu |
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Cooper Clark, GED Tutor (850) 769-1551 ext. 4075; cclark24@gulfcoast.edu |
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Karina Posada, English Language Learning (ELL) Tutor (850) 769-1551 ext. 4075; kposada@gulfcoast.edu |
“The contents of GCSC’s TRiO webpages, along with any printed publication materials (e.g., books, reports, or films) we separately disseminate, were developed under grants provided by the U.S. Department of Education (ED). However, those contents do not necessarily represent ED policy, and you should not assume endorsement by the federal government.”