TESS of North Carolina is 501(c)(3) educational nonprofit organization serving K-12 students in Wayne and Johnston counties and is quickly expanding throughout rural NC. The TESS vision is to be the largest provider of a socially responsible workforce in NC by consistently preparing a reliable and stable stream of students for success to higher education. The mission of TESS is to provide scholarships and enrichment programs to students with high potential and significant environmental barriers. The organization's objectives are to increase high school graduation rates and higher education entry and graduation rates; support academic excellence with scholarships; expose students to global relationships and concepts with educational travel; and instill leadership and success principles.