Students constructed towns intended to represent sustainability. For example, some towns used solar panels instead of coal.
Zachary Araki/ The Lion's Roar
The Upward Bound Program hosted at the university has helped students reach academic success for 30 years.
Upward Bound is a TRIO program funded by five federal grants. It has served students in Jefferson, St. Helena, Tangipahoa and Washington parishes since 1987. Each year, the program is divided into a school year session and a six-week residential summer session. Upward Bound aims to prepare and motivate low-income and first generation high school students to pursue and excel in postsecondary education.
“We take the student who, without some help or intervention, may or probably will not go into college,” said Director Ron Abel. “We try to take away all the barriers they might have. We work with them to get them acclimated to the university environment. We have the residential program here so they feel as comfortable on campus as possible and going to college is not a frightening thing for them. We offer academic classes that strengthen them in high school and keep their GPA up so that they qualify for college admission and receiving TOPS scholarship.”
About 450 students actively participate in the program a year. The program also works with thousands of inactive participants to help them navigate college among other services. Sky Amireholnes, a student from Kentwood High Magnet School is in her first year of the program.
“It’s better than school,” said Amireholnes. “It still keeps my mind on track because over the summer, your brain kind of shuts down. I’m learning a lot of stuff in my classes like seven habits and statistics and geometry. I’m gonna be doing geometry next year, so I’ll have a head start in my classes when I get back to school.”
Bobby Ray Sell Jr. is earning college credit in the program. He plans to enter the computer science field.
“The classes actually helped me prepare for the next year,” said Sell. “They are teaching you lessons that our school might not even get to or that come up later in the year.”
The program also includes educational fieldtrips.
“My favorite part of the program has to be when we go on our trips like Turtle Cove,” said Amireholnes. “I’ve never been to Turtle Cove. I never knew about it. I probably never would have found out about Turtle Cove.”
At the end of the summer, the top 160 students will go on a trip to Washington D.C.
“The trip serves as a motivator for them because they’re high school kids,” said Abel. “We’re telling them join our program, and in ten years, you will have a college degree. We have to give them interim things that motivate them.”
Abel has enjoyed seeing the program’s impact on participants.
“I get to look back at students who have graduated who make a lot more money than me,” said Abel. “We’ve got lawyers, doctors, nurses, teachers, any walk or field you can think of, we’ve got. When you see that, you feel really great about it. We have to place 75 percent in college, the ones that come through. We usually average about 80 percent who will go to college initially. Of that 80 percent, about 55 percent will go on to complete their degree in six years, which is remarkable.”
As part of the Upward Bound Program, students presented their research on poster boards. Each year, the Upward Bound Program has about 450 active participating students. The program aims to help students prepare for and excel in secondary education. The program has been helping students since 1987.
Zachary Araki/ The Lion's Roar
