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Upward Bound prepares students to climb the ladder of success

June 25, 2018
An upward bound instructor speaking to other volunteers.
Photo: Mariana Porras, a residential tutor advisor and an Upward Bound alumna, talks to Upward Bound students about her college experience. She graduated from Mount St. Mary’s University this spring and is attending graduate school at Columbia University in the fall. (Credit: Anibal Ortiz/Cal State LA)

Upward Bound prepares students to climb the ladder of success

June 25, 2018
An upward bound instructor speaking to other volunteers.
Photo: Mariana Porras, a residential tutor advisor and an Upward Bound alumna, talks to Upward Bound students about her college experience. She graduated from Mount St. Mary’s University this spring and is attending graduate school at Columbia University in the fall. (Credit: Anibal Ortiz/Cal State LA)

Fifteen-year-old Arianna Moreno, a high school student at Marshall Fundamental Secondary School in Pasadena, is excited to spend two weeks living on campus at Cal State LA. She’s taking classes that will prepare her for junior year, picking up good study habits from roommates and learning about colleges from her residential advisors. Arianna is also excited for her future. She hopes to become a professional in the medical field. “I really want to go to college and have a successful career. I would be the first in my family,” said Arianna, who is among 52 students staying at Cal State LA this summer as part of Upward Bound’s residential program. As an Upward Bound student, Arianna’s chances of graduating from college are promising. The federally funded college prep program at Cal State LA has helped first-generation students from historically underserved communities earn a college degree, and elevate their families and communities. More than 300 students participate in the Upward Bound or Upward Bound Math/Science programs at Cal State LA every year. About 72 percent of Cal State LA Upward Bound graduates since 2008 have completed college, according to the program’s annual data. Nineteen students from the Upward Bound Class of 2018 will attend Cal State LA in the fall. Others plan to attend Cal State Northridge, Cal Poly Pomona, University of California, Riverside, UC Santa Barbara, UC Berkeley, UCLA, Brown University and Stanford University, among others. “Upward Bound, much like Cal State LA, is helping to transform lives and the lives of future generations through higher education. We are proud to work with them every year in guiding students along their academic journeys,” said Nancy Wada-McKee, vice president for Student Life, the division that oversees Upward Bound. Students commit to four years of study halls after school and Saturday morning classes during the school year. In the summer, they take intensive six-week courses at Cal State LA. Some of them also participate in the two-week residential program. Diego Lopez, a junior at Woodrow Wilson High School, is staying on campus this year for the first time. Students leave their dorm rooms in the morning, climb the long set of stairs up “Cardiac Hill” to get to class at King Hall, or the Biological Sciences building and return in the afternoon for sports, team-building activities or presentations. Diego, who is taking pre-calculus, English literature and U.S. history, said he enjoys experiencing college life.

Gabriel Guerra, an 11th grade student at Marshall Fundamental Secondary School in Pasadena
Photo:Gabriel Guerra, an 11th grade student at Marshall Fundamental Secondary School in Pasadena, listen to Upward Bound residential tutor advisors share their college experiences. (Credit: Anibal Ortiz/Cal State LA)

Fifteen-year-old Arianna Moreno, a high school student at Marshall Fundamental Secondary School in Pasadena, is excited to spend two weeks living on campus at Cal State LA. She’s taking classes that will prepare her for junior year, picking up good study habits from roommates and learning about colleges from her residential advisors. Arianna is also excited for her future. She hopes to become a professional in the medical field. “I really want to go to college and have a successful career. I would be the first in my family,” said Arianna, who is among 52 students staying at Cal State LA this summer as part of Upward Bound’s residential program. As an Upward Bound student, Arianna’s chances of graduating from college are promising. The federally funded college prep program at Cal State LA has helped first-generation students from historically underserved communities earn a college degree, and elevate their families and communities. More than 300 students participate in the Upward Bound or Upward Bound Math/Science programs at Cal State LA every year. About 72 percent of Cal State LA Upward Bound graduates since 2008 have completed college, according to the program’s annual data. Nineteen students from the Upward Bound Class of 2018 will attend Cal State LA in the fall. Others plan to attend Cal State Northridge, Cal Poly Pomona, University of California, Riverside, UC Santa Barbara, UC Berkeley, UCLA, Brown University and Stanford University, among others. “Upward Bound, much like Cal State LA, is helping to transform lives and the lives of future generations through higher education. We are proud to work with them every year in guiding students along their academic journeys,” said Nancy Wada-McKee, vice president for Student Life, the division that oversees Upward Bound. Students commit to four years of study halls after school and Saturday morning classes during the school year. In the summer, they take intensive six-week courses at Cal State LA. Some of them also participate in the two-week residential program. Diego Lopez, a junior at Woodrow Wilson High School, is staying on campus this year for the first time. Students leave their dorm rooms in the morning, climb the long set of stairs up “Cardiac Hill” to get to class at King Hall, or the Biological Sciences building and return in the afternoon for sports, team-building activities or presentations. Diego, who is taking pre-calculus, English literature and U.S. history, said he enjoys experiencing college life.