One club at Thomas County Central High School is working to inspire its students to be successful in their academic careers.

I.N.S.P.I.R.E. stands for “Illuminating and Navigating Successfully Propelling Ingenuity through Real world Experiences.” The club is focused on first generation high school and college graduates.

“I.N.S.P.I.R.E. is so important because it provides students with an additional academic and moral support system to cheer them on as they work toward excellence,” sponsor Renae Moore said.

Other club sponsors are Regina Beasley and Louise Phillips. Sponsors seek out opportunities to encourage and motivate these students by exposing them to the "College Experience," Beasley explains.

One way sponsors seek to accomplish the club’s goal is by taking students on college campus tours. The first trip of the 2016-2017 school year was a visit to the historical Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University for the annual Fall Preview.

The event is designed for prospective students and their families to learn about FAMU’s degree programs, as well as tour the campus and meet with faculty, administrators and current students.

During this visit, students received valuable, motivational information about academics and they also were able to get a glimpse of life on a college campus.

“I attended to have a look at what college is like, how a campus is set up, and what it’s like to live on campus,” student Abby Fielding said. “I learned what the school has to offer.”

Student Symone Robinson wanted to check out FAMU because she’d heard good things about it.

“I wanted to see what it was like with my own eyes, get more information and view the campus to try to get some idea of where I want to go to college,” she said.

Robinson enjoyed the mini orientation meeting and said the trip helped her come to an important realization.

“I need to buckle down and be serious about knowing what I want to be and deciding where I want my life to go,” she said.