Double Discovery Center at Columbia University

Founded in 1965 as Project Double Discovery, the program was the creation of Columbia undergraduates moved by the disparities between their Ivy League institution and an impoverished Harlem community. Our goals now, as they were then, are high school graduation, college enrollment and completion, career preparation, and responsible adulthood.

DDC's core mission to provide model educational programs, shared experiences and lasting ties through "double discovery" between positive role models and underserved New York City youngsters to instill the confidence and hope needed for those historically underrepresented in higher education to pursue their highest aspirations.

DDC hosts 3 programs:

Talent Search:
An early academic awareness, planning and youth development program, that seeks to encourage high school enrollment, completion and post-secondary matriculation, by providing a broad array of services for more than 750 students. TS improves the quality of college advising that first-generation and low-income students receive by providing one-on-one advising sessions, workshops, tutoring, academic classes, SAT preparation, internships, field trips and special events that include career days, science labs, and work site visits.

Upward Bound:
A year-round academic program that provides the supplemental schooling and support needed to prepare nearly 200 first-generation college-bound students for success. Students enroll in the 9th or 10th grade for tutoring, workshops and Saturday classes and continue attending throughout high school. UB students are eligible for the Upward Bound Summer Academy, a residential intensive academic and enrichment program.

GedPLUS+Blue Sky Initiative: Here, our goals are to 1) assist students with completing their high school equivalency requirements, and 2) assist them with college preparation, application and enrollment. Additionally we are committed to assisting students who have completed some college credits, get back on track with college achievement.