Eastern Michigan University’s Upward Bound program is a Federally-funded pre-college academic program designed to provide students from Ypsilanti Community High Schools and Ypsilanti New Tech High School with the skills and motivation to move on to attend a university to obtain a college degree. According to their homepage, “An Upward Bound student’s chance of earning a bachelor’s degree is four times greater than that of a non-Upward Bound student from a similar background.”
EMU Upward Bound provides support systems from the help of experienced and caring professionals in college readiness and planning, career exploration, and social and cultural enrichment.
Students that will be in the 9th and 10th grades during the following academic school year that attend the eligible schools, have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.2 and are a U.S. citizen or permanent-resident are invited to register for EMU’s Upward Bound Summer Academy where they will “get a preview of college life by living on the campus of EMU” and prepare students for a preparatory high school curriculum. Also, during the final week of the six week camp, students will go on a three day out of state college tour. The application can be found here and must be completed by April 24.
After completing the six week Summer Academy, students will receive tutoring, mentoring and go on field trips throughout the year through Upward Bound.
In an interview conducted by Upward Bound volunteer Cristina Neil, Upward Bound member Diana Bernal-Canseco says that, “Upward Bound has done a great contribution. I came to realize who I am in a deeper meaning. I'm able to step out of my shell and be more outgoing.”
Diana has come a long way since being new to Upward Bound. She is a senior this year, and is currently President of the National Honor Society at her high school, Captain of the FRC Robotics team, and attends STEM2, which is the concentrated study of science, technology, engineering and mathematics for young people. She tells Neil that she was accepted into four universities already, but she is waiting on the one she really would like to attend - the University of Michigan - to study bio-medical engineering.
When asked about leaving Upward Bound and what it was meant for her, Diana was enthused to share her response.
“People who are in Upward Bound want to be here. I've appreciated every moment and life lesson a tutor had to offer. I want to give back to the program. I didn't have to pay to stay in the program. I had to work hard to be here and now I'm heading down the right path. They are not there as tutors, they are there to listen and help.”
