The U.S. Department of Education awarded a Federal Upward Bound Grant of $664,032 to University Corporation at CSU Monterey Bay. The grant will allow CSUMB to help 134 low-income students become the first members of their families to graduate from college over the next five years.
CSUMB has been supporting and helping students achieve post-secondary education success for over a decade. One of the federal TRIO programs, Upward Bound is an intensive intervention program that prepares students for higher education through various enrichment courses. At least two-thirds of students in Upward Bound programs come from low-income backgrounds and families in which neither parent has a bachelor’s degree.
“It is a pleasure to have the opportunity to continue serving our community with the Upward Bound grant we have received,” said Kim Barber, Director of Pre-College Programs at CSUMB.
“At this vital time when education has been impacted by the pandemic, it is even more important to have programs like these to help our students overcome obstacles and challenges to succeed. Education remains a powerful weapon against poverty and a vehicle for a better life for all.
Campus-based Upward Bound programs teach students literature, composition, math, science, and foreign languages during the school year and summer. Upward Bound also provides intensive mentoring and support to students as they prepare for college entrance exams and process admissions applications, financial aid, and scholarship forms.
Many Upward Bound alumni have achieved great success, including Academy Award-winning actress Viola Davis, ABC News correspondent John Quiñones and NBA Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing.
According to the Department of Education, 86% of Upward Bound participants enroll in post-secondary institutions immediately after graduating from high school. In 2021, more than 70,000 students enrolled in 966 Upward Bound TRIO projects in the United States.
In 1964, the Economic Opportunity Act created Upward Bound as a pilot program in response to the War on Poverty. It was the first of seven federal TRIO programs later authorized by the Higher Education Act to help students succeed.
He acknowledges that students whose parents don’t have a college degree have a harder time navigating the complexity of decisions necessary for college success. It supports students from low-income families who have not had the academic opportunities of their college peers and helps remove barriers that prevent students from thriving academically.
In 2021, more than 3,000 TRIO projects serve approximately 855,000 participants each year. TRIO projects are present in all states and territories of the country.
