A spotlight on TRIO Upward Bound
Upward Bound is a college preparatory program that is open for high school students who are going to be first generation college students. TRIO is the organization that oversees Upward Bound and other programs, but Upward Bound is one of the biggest programs within TRIO with over 600 programs across the U.S.
Taya Cushenberry is an Louisiana State University Upward Bound alumni who has a lot to say about her positive experiences within the program. When asked why she even chose to join in the first place, Cushenberry said, “I joined Upward Bound to increase my social skills, to enjoy meeting new people, and because I love to travel.”
Upward Bound has so many resources available to their participants, including ACT prep, after school tutoring and a summer long tutoring for students to prepare for their classes next semester. After all the hard work, the students get to be awarded with small field trips and one big field trip at the end of their summer session.
Cushenberry says that her best experience was her first big trip with Upward Bound, where she was lucky enough to go to Disney World. “ It was so surreal,” said Cushenberry, “ because I had never thought that I would ever go to Disney world for having good grades at the end of the year.”
Another Upward Bound alumni, Brianna Anderson, said her best experience was attending the National Student Leadership Congress. “The longest week of my life, but the most fulfilling. I really felt like I found a part of myself that week,” said Anderson.
The goal of Upward Bound is to prepare these first generation students for their first semester in college. These students do not have any other family members to look to for advice in this experience, so Upward Bound had to mentor them and push them in the right direction.
Through their help with filling out important documents such as FAFSA and college applications, many students within the program were able to go on to colleges of their dreams with scholarships. Anderson said that the ACT prep was exhausting but “I was able to get my 19 up to a 26 which awarded me more aid.”
While it seems that everyone within the program had different experiences, it is no question that without Upward Bound, a lot of students would be lost and not as ahead as they are now. TRIO programs definitely need to be given the credit they deserve for helping thousands of young adults every year.
