Upward Bound program celebrates 50 years at Cal U.
Upward Bound “bridge” students Kayla Sloan and Fred Clark, both from Greene County, present their research projects on social anxiety at California University of Pennsylvania Tuesday.
Upward Bound “bridge” students Troy Hair, left, and Brandon Hixenbaugh present their research projects on social anxiety at California University of Pennsylvania Tuesday.
On the heels of President Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty and the passage of the Educational Opportunity Act of 1965, California University of Pennsylvania began participating in Upward Bound, a federally funded program to help disadvantaged students pursue a college education.
Since implementing the program in 1966, Cal U. has served nearly 2,000 eligible students from nine target schools in Greene and Fayette counties.
Once selected, Upward Bound students receive academic and career guidance, preparation for standardized tests, and assistance with college enrollment and financial aid applications. More importantly, the selected applicants meet college students, visit various campuses and learn both academic and study skills essential to college success. The nine targeted school districts include Albert Gallatin, Brownsville, Carmichaels, Jefferson-Morgan, Laurel Highlands, Waynesburg, West Greene and Uniontown.
To qualify for admission into the program, neither of the student’s parents or guardians can have earned a bachelor’s degree or the family income must fall within certain federal guidelines. Upward Bound students can apply for admission in their spring of their eighth-grade year and participate in the program until graduation from high school.
In turn, students are expected to participate in program activities, earn good grades in a college preparatory curriculum, take the SAT or ACT in their junior and senior years and apply for admission to at least four colleges and universities in their senior year.
In the 2015-16 school year, 156 students in the two counties participated in the program that received a total of $649,467 in federal funding. During the school year, the nine targeted school districts provided facilities at the high school each week for Cal U. faculty and tutoring staff to work with students on a one-on-one basis.
“Not only did the tutoring sessions help me get closer to my fellow Upward Bound classmates, they also helped me select my career choice,” said Shelby Haney of Uniontown, who will attend Waynesburg University this fall with a double major in forensic science and psychology. “If I hadn’t participated in the program, I probably wouldn’t even have gone to college.”
On four Saturdays throughout the academic year, the students also got to visit Cal U. for seven hours each day where they partnered with different departments, faculty and staff on campus to get information on college majors and various career fields.
“Being able to partner with our professors has been a wonderful resource to our students,” said Laura Giachetti, Upward Bound director at Cal U.
From June 6 through July 20, 58 Upward Bound students are participating in the university’s annual residential summer academy. The rigorous program includes academic courses, workshops, service learning experiences, career and college planning activities, college tours and field trips.
Eight of the students are recent high school grads or “bridge” students who participated in Upward Bound for at least several years.
All eight will earn three college credits by taking either an introductory biology or cyber crime class. Faith Workman of Uniontown has already earned 10 college credits for courses she’s taken in several summer academies. All the students have also been admitted to a college or university this fall and all have received a scholarship. This year alone, graduating seniors have been offered close to $2 million in scholarships.
According to Giachetti, the Upward Bound students enroll in college and obtain a degree at a rate four times as great as their peers who meet the same program eligibility guidelines. Their college enrollment rate is 83 percent, which is 20 percent higher than the national average.
Program alumna, Charlyne Adams of Carmichaels, credits Upward Bound for helping her with every aspect of her college experience. “I probably wouldn’t have gone to St. Vincent because I didn’t think I could afford it,” she said. “Through the program, I learned about ways to finance my education there.”
Another alumna, Lora Rutherford of Brownsville, credits the program with expanding her horizons and allowing her to go further than she originally intended. With the aid of $42,000 in scholarship money, she was able to graduate from Thiel College with a double major in psychology and criminal justice.
“Originally, I was going to enroll in Penn State-Fayette, but went to Thiel instead,” she said. “Initially, I hated it, but my counselor encouraged me to stick with it. Eventually, I learned to love the experience and now credit the program with helping me push my boundaries and comfort level.”
For more information, phone 724-938-4470 or email upwardbound@caluedu.