USD Magazine, Spring 2003

ALMANAC

by Krystn Shrieve

Upward Bound Helps College Dreams Come True

residence halls, get a feel for campus life and rake courses to get a jump start on their high school classes. The summer program also offers field trips to other universities and cultural spots like the Gerty Museum and the Museum ofTolerance in Los Angeles. During the school year, the high schoolers pair up with members of USD's Mortar Board honor society to get an up-close glimpse of the college experience. USD senior Kasey Henrickson, who majors in English and minors in psychology, recently took high school junior Giovanna Lopez to several classes, berween which they chatted over burgers at the Torero Grille. The rwo talked about social and academic aspects of campus life, and the transition from high school to college. "Before joining Upward Bound, I wanted to go to a community college," Lopez says. "Bur now, I want to go to a four-year univer– sity and live in a dorm. I know I'll have to be more responsible, get my first part-time job and solve my own problems. Upward Bound prepared me to cope with everything I'll have to face. " Tahapary and his staff recently submitted a proposal to extend the federally sponsored program through 2007, and to expand it to 100 students.

Kearny High School students visit Copley Library during a recent on-campus academy. S tephanie Dang arrived in the Unired States from Vietnam three years ago, a small, scared 13-year-old who didn't

and history. They prepare me for tests and reach me step-by-step how to get into college." Dang is among 50 students selected through an application and interview process to join USO Upward Bound, one of 700 such programs nationwide. The chapter started in 1999, and this year 25 Upward Bound high school seniors, who started with the program as freshmen , applied to colleges and universities. There are 11 USO hopefuls in the group. "The biggest change I see in these students is confidence," says Upward Bound Director Jocberhem Tahapary '92 (M.Ed. '94) . "We give chem the self-esteem to see that college isn't an intangible dream, but a reality." With volunteers drawn from the School of Education and the community, Upward Bound offers high school students academic tutoring and rwice-monthly Saturday acade– mies on writing, grammar and Literature. The academies also incorporate conflict medi– ation, career planning and assistance with college applications and financial aid forms. The most exciting component, however, is the month-long summer residential pro– gram, in which the teen-agers live in USD

speak a word of English. Fitting in at her new high school in San Diego was a daily exercise in overwhelming anxiety - so much so that the teen-ager couldn't stand the thought of doing it all over again in college. Dang, who immigrated with her family, assumed if she could just scrape by and man– age to finish high school, she'd settle for a career flipping burgers. But her life changed when she joined USD's Upward Bound program, which pre– pares low-income, disabled and first-genera– tion college students at San Diego's Kearny High School for pose-secondary education. Now, the high school junior looks forward to going to college, studying abroad and becoming a pharmacist. "When I first came to the United States, I couldn't even say 'how are you' in English," says Dang. "I was afraid of the big high school campus, and the students seemed so call. I didn't think I'd make any friends. "But Upward Bound is good for me," she says. "The tutors help me with English, math

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