LOCK HAVEN - Lock Haven University's TRIO Upward Bound program has been re-awarded funding from the U.S. Department of Education, in the amount of $250,000 per year.
The grant is the result of a competitive process which awarded approximately 800 grants nationally, out of more than 1,500 applications. The grant award is anticipated to continue for a five-year period, totaling $1.25 million.
Directed by Tulare Park, the LHU TRIO Upward Bound (UB) program provides services to 56 students per year in grades 9-12 in the Keystone Central, Jersey Shore and Williamsport school districts.
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LHU 2012 Upward Bound students are volunteering with community agencies such as Downtown Lock Haven, Inc. while they enhance their academic skills.
Park said, "We are extremely pleased to again have this opportunity to collaborate with three school districts to positively affect the futures of students in our area who want to pursue a college education but may be facing barriers to achieving that dream."
The program's goal is to help qualifying high school students in the area to develop their potential to pursue and succeed in post-secondary education. UB is specifically designed to help students excel academically in high school and pursue post-secondary education after high school graduation.
Lucio Perez, a former LHU UB participant, now an LHU student majoring in Social Work and a Summer Tutor/Counselor for the on-campus LHU UB Summer Program, remarked that "being a former participant in UB gave me the opportunity to further my education and also to become a mentor to return the favor. It is really rewarding to see students making something of themselves." Trisha O'Neal, a recent LHU graduate with a Social Work degree and also a Summer T/C, commented that "UB is wonderful because it gives college students [working with UB] the opportunity to shape the future generation of young adults."
Students qualify for enrollment in the Lock Haven University TRIO UB program by demonstrating a desire to pursue education beyond high school, meeting income guidelines established by the U.S. Department of Education, and/or being a potential first-generation college student.
If selected to participate in the program, students are provided with services during both the academic year and summer. Services include academic and career counseling, mentoring, tutoring, assistance with the college application and financial aid processes, college visits, and a six-week summer on-campus residential program that simulates living in a college environment.
The Summer Program also gives students an opportunity to give back to the community by volunteering time with community agencies, such as Downtown Lock Haven, Inc., under the leadership of Dawn Snyder, where students have participated in city beautification and clean-up activities.
Marceline Salomon-Debrosse, an LHU student majoring in Social Work and also a Summer T/C, said, "Not only are we changing summers, but we are changing lives."
Booker Riddick IV, a Summer T/C and former Kutztown University UB student who is now an LHU student majoring in Secondary Education-Math and Special Education, noted that "UB is unique because it weaves in different experiences that high school students wouldn't normally have, and it really enriches their potential."
Perhaps the best summary of TRIO UB is captured in the remarks of current Lock Haven University UB participants: "I learned that I have so much potential. I can excel at any college I decide to go to if I maintain my academic performance," and "It is an amazing experience and a great way to meet new people and [learn] more options for college."
High school students from Central Mountain, Bucktail, Jersey Shore, or Williamsport High Schools who are interested in joining Lock Haven University's TRIO UB program can get more information at www.lhup.edu/upward-bound/, through their high school guidance office, or by contacting Program Director Tulare Park at 570-484-3054 or tpark@lhup.edu.
