While we were all on winter break Feb. 19-22, six students in Upward Bound went to Kalamazoo, Michigan, attending the Student Leadership Summit. At this conference, students all around Michigan involved in Upward Bound attended workshops aimed at raising leadership skills, self-perception, and motivation to pursue in academic achievement.
Upward Bound is a program for low-income first generation college students that assist students in financial aid, registration, professional development ideas, and recovering personal academic. Each month, students in Upward Bound receive a check for being in the program and attending tutorials for subjects like science and math, and even foreign language. Upward Bound also takes students to colleges and universities. Stacey Langton, Upward Bound administrative assistant said, “We take these kids who’ve never stepped foot on a college campus into the admissions department, and we take them on tour on the campus.”
The six students who attended were Sierra Clay, Cherise Hall, Caleb Neal, Christian Neal, Amanda Sharpe, and William Schwab. They were chosen out of everybody for their leadership skills, grades, and attendance.
The students attended seminars like “Principles of Banking,” “No, Really, You Are a Writer,” “What is an Academic Mentor?” and “I Have My Bachelor’s Degree, Now What?” along with other workshops of the like. Students also had the chance to visit a college fair, take part in a community service project, and visit a university. Then, on Saturday night, the students gathered at the Radisson hotel to attend a dance held for all Upward Bound students.
Junior Caleb Neal commented about the trip. “It was very fun, and I got a lot of useful information about potential college choices.” His brother, Christian, also a Junior, said, “It helped us find useful information on colleges, and I really enjoyed it.” Langton added, “So it really is a dynamic opportunity for these students, and Upward Bound is a dynamic program for low-income first-generation students.”