Though there were no lit birthday candles on the cake, there was plenty of glow on the faces of the attendees who commemorated the 50th anniversary of BW's TRIO Upward Bound program at a special event June 9.
The festivities lauded BW's long-standing commitment to providing educational access to students in need. One of the oldest programs in the nation, BW's Upward Bound began four years after the U.S. Department of Education initiated the Federal TRIO Programs to address educational disparity.
Since
its
inception,
BW's
Upward
Bound
has
helped
more
than
3,000
low-income,
first-generation
students.
This
year
the
program
graduated
33
students,
of
which
28
have
been
accepted
and
are
registered
for
two-
or
four-year
colleges
at
places
like
The
University
of
Akron,
Kent
State
University,
The
College
of
Wooster
and
Cleveland
State
University.
"Upward Bound is the oldest of the TRIO Programs. It was born out of President Lyndon Johnson's "War on Poverty" campaign of the 1960s. It addresses educational disparity by giving urban, rural and inner-city students opportunities to advance to college," explained Bonnie Munguia, director of BW's Upward Bound program.
Upward Bound students are recommended by their high school counselors. Students participate in after-school tutoring once a week and a four-hour Saturday session during the school year. In the summer, they attend a residential camp at BW.
"Upward Bound is an important aspect of BW's commitment to embracing diversity and success for all students. It boosts the educational potential of more than 105 Cleveland Metropolitan School District high school students each year by giving them access to college preparatory resources as well as social and cultural experiences," she added.
For Upward Bound participants Vic Patterson and Kyerra Ervin, this year's high school graduation was a sweet reminder of the path they've taken to reach this milestone and the excitement and anticipation they feel for college experiences that soon lay ahead.
"In
high
school,
I
was
senior
class
president,
in
the
top
10
of
my
class
and
a
student
ambassador,"
explained
Patterson,
a
graduate
of
Washington
Park
Environmental
Studies
Academy.
"Without
Upward
Bound,
I
don't
know
if
I
could
be
all
those
things.
I
was
very
shy.
Upward
Bound
helped
me
gain
confidence
and
showed
me
how
much
the
world
has
to
offer."
Ervin also credits BW's Upward Bound with helping her succeed. She believes the complex courses she took in the program as well as mentoring and enrichment activities have benefited her by allowing her to experience college life.
Both Patterson and Ervin also cited the support they received from the community. "Upward Bound," said Patterson, "is like family to me. I can't thank the staff enough for what they did to make me a young scholar."
