The Upward Bound Summer Institute has served 130 pre-college students in Ellijay's Gilmer High School and 119 at Johnson High School in Gainesville, Georgia, since its inception in 2017.
Article By: Denise Ray
The University of North Georgia's (UNG) Dahlonega Campus was home to roughly 40 rising sophomores through seniors from Hall and Gilmer counties for six weeks this summer before they headed off to Washington, D.C. for college tours and sightseeing.
The experience at UNG was part of the year-round Upward Bound program, a Department of Education-funded grant designed to help promising low-income, first-generation high school students prepare for and be successful in college.
Now in its fifth year, the Upward Bound Summer Institute has served 130 pre-college students in Ellijay's Gilmer High School and 119 at Johnson High School in Gainesville, Georgia, since its inception in 2017, Dr. Latrice Richardson, UNG director of TRIO — Pre-College Access Grant Programs, said.
College is important, education is important and this is helping me get there.
Zeta King
second-year attendee of the Upward Bound Summer Institute
There are academic and social benefits to the program, and students have study time in the afternoon to help them digest the concepts from the morning session.
Zeta King, a rising 10th-grader at Gilmer County High School, was in her second year attending the summer portion of the program. King is a "huge advocate" and has recruited four friends with a few more possibilities. She said she carries papers about the program in her backpack.
"The program is important. I've had a really good time," King said. "College is important, education is important and this is helping me get there."
The Upward Bound summer program at UNG also made an impact on Ellishiah "Lee" Campbell, a rising 10th-grader at Johnson High School.
"The program helped me because the way I learn is different from the way things are taught in school," Campbell said. "The tutoring sessions help you learn your own way of learning."
The program provides a variety of opportunities for students, such as college visits, student leadership development opportunities and other direct services specifically for first-generation students.
One of the campus visits was to Morgan State University.
"Their admissions staff talked about the relevance of higher education in a way that intrigued our students," Richardson said. "They challenged our students to persist and get out of their comfort zones while in high school and beyond.
King and Campbell appreciated the support, especially with ACT prep, which helps them become familiar with the test and strategies for success.
"It made me feel confident," King said.
Miguel Del Angel, rising senior at Johnson High School, has been in the program the last four consecutive years. He joined at the encouragement of his former mathematics teacher who knew of his political aspirations. Del Angel particularly appreciated the chance to visit with staff members of U.S. Senators Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock while at the Capitol. The Upward Bound students also had a mock congressional debate and visited the national monuments.
"My siblings and I came to the conclusion that we were all going to go to college. It was our main goal. With Upward Bound, it showed me I have so many options. It opened my eyes to a lot of things I wouldn't have seen otherwise," Del Angel said.
