Onward & Upward
College prep program prepares students for collegiate life
This article was originally published in the December 2004 / January 2005 issue of CLASnotes
When Pamela Barr was in middle school, she remembers her mother bringing her to UF to see her older sister participate in numerous activities sponsored by the Upward Bound program. Now, more than 10 years later, Barr has completed the same program and followed in the footsteps of her three older siblings who all attended UF. “My mom always had all of us going to events and being around the Upward Bound program while my older sisters were in it, so I knew that I was going to be a part of this wonderful program,” she says.
Upward Bound, which has been funded by the US Department of Education since 1971, originated from the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 in response to President Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty. “Our objective is to increase the number of students from low-income households, including first generation college students and ethnic minorities, who attend college,” says Barbara McDade, a geography professor and the program’s interim director since August.
The program is administered through UF’s Office of Academic Support and Institutional Services (OASIS) and targets high school students from low-income households in Alachua, Bradford and Levy counties. Students can participate for all four years of high school or apply as late as their junior year. Up to 80 students meet almost every Saturday during the fall and spring at UF and attend three 55-minute classes taught by high school teachers and UF graduate students.
Courses in English, computer science, biology, chemistry, algebra, geometry, trigonometry and Spanish are offered, and the students usually take classes that correspond with their high school curriculum. Two counselors also attend the Saturday tutoring sessions to enrich the personal development of participants.
Mathematics graduate student Avijit Kar assists two high school students enrolled in the Upward Bound program with their algebra homework.
Barbara E. McDade (center), Upward Bound Director, with the Upward Bound Staff: Annetta McCloud (left), Assistant Director, and Pamela Anderson (right), Program Assistant.
Upward Bound programs exist at hundreds of colleges and universities around the country. However, some only offer tutoring sessions and not the Saturday classes, so UF is somewhat unique, explains Annetta McCloud, the program’s assistant director. “These students have a tough schedule to follow, and once admitted they are expected to attend classes regularly. If they do not perform well, they are not invited back the next semester.”
“We have a success rate of more than 90 percent, meaning this is the percentage of our students who complete the program and then enroll in a two or four-year college,” says McDade. “One of my objectives is to identify alumni and to continue tracking our students after college graduation.
Barr, a junior nursing student who graduated from Buchholz High School in Gainesville in 2001, is the fourth child in her family to participate in the program. Her two older sisters have already earned degrees from UF and her brother, Anthony, graduates this spring. Barr says she also has two cousins in high school who are participating now. “The staff told us about our different college options, gave us SAT and ACT prep help, and even took us through the process of applying to the university or college of our choice, and applying for financial aid,” says Barr. “The program helped to influence my life by sending the message that in order to excel in life you need to do more than just graduate from high school. You need to go to college, be involved, volunteer, and even go on to get your masters, which is what I plan to do.”
—Allyson A. Beutke
Photo:
Jane Dominguez (McCloud, McDade, Anderson)
Courtesy Upward Bound (Students)