Project Promise A Long-Term Follow-Up of Low-Income Gifted Students Who Participated in a Summer Enrichment Program

“Overlooked gems” is the term used in gifted education to describe high-potential, low-income students who are unable to excel because of significant barriers in their homes, environments, and educational systems. To address these barriers, educators have offered enrichment and other types of talent development programs to this at-risk group of students. Using a retrospective survey, this study examined the perceptions of 89 low-income gifted students who participated in a summer enrichment program for 3 or more years and reports their impressions regarding social, emotional, motivational, academic, career, and generational benefits of participation. These findings expand the extant literature related to identifying components perceived as most beneficial and offer insight into potential multigenerational benefits.