Duke Talent Identification Programs (TIP) is designed specifically for gifted students. Talent searches help students and their families evaluate and grow their academic abilities while the educational programs provide them with motivation, challenge, inspiration, advanced interactive learning opportunities, peer interaction, and more. The Duke TIP Center for Summer Studies courses for seventh graders are offered in June and July at both Davidson College and Wake Forest University in North Carolina, as well as at Trinity University in Texas.
Ciara White McShane, a Cornell middle school student, was selected as a TIP scholar in 2018 during Duke University's 38th annual 7th grade Talent Search. This program helps gifted seventh graders develop their abilities and identify the extent of their academic talent through above-level testing. Although unable to attend due to a conflict with Cornell's Band Concert, she was invited to the 2018 North Carolina Recognition Ceremony on May 23rd at Elon University in North Carolina honoring academically talented students in the 7th Grade Talent Search with high SAT scores.
Ciara has chosen to take an offering in Literature. The course is called Speculative Fiction: Reading and Writing About Alternate Worlds*. She will travel to Wake Forest University for the three-week course in June 2018. Ciara will live at Luter Residence Hall on the Wake Forest campus, eat in the dining hall, and take 108 hours of class throughout the program. Additionally, she will participate in residential life programming focusing on diversity, service, leadership, health & wellness and fine arts. Campus-wide social and recreational programming such as field day activities, talent shows, lip sync or skit competitions, carnivals, dances, and off-campus field trips are offered for all scholars on the weekends.
*Speculative Fiction course description: What do J.R.R. Tolkien’s Gollum, Shakespeare’s fairies, Stephen King’s Cujo, Suzanne Collins’ Katniss Everdeen, and Ray Bradbury’s Martians all have in common? With particular emphasis on fiction, poetry, and nonfiction, use the writing process to create short and long literary works of your own. Work collaboratively with the instructor and your classmates to refine editing and revision skills. Analyze a range of literary pieces to improve your own creative writing.