By Emily Bontrager
Students and advisors of Indiana Wesleyan’s Upward Bound high school program were representing their organization at Tailgate Village, as part of Saturday’s Homecoming events.
Upward Bound is a national organization that focuses on offering support to first generation college students.
“The benefit for high school students to be in our program is that we kind of help them bridge some gaps, whether it’s academic, financial or just trying to figure out the academic and admissions process in college,” said Assistant Director Erica Farmer.
Farmer was also a first generation college student and an Indiana Wesleyan alum.
“When I came to Indiana Wesleyan, I had a lot of support behind me,” Farmer said. “But unfortunately, some of our students don’t have that kind of support.”
Upward Bound has also partnered with Wildcat Summer Academy, a six week summer program where students can learn about different careers and majors.
“The sixth week we go, like, a week-long trip,” said Shalimar Scott, an Upward Bound student.“But like, for five weeks we’re actually on campus, and we do classes throughout the week, and then we’ll go home during the weekend.”
Farmer said that many of the students figured out what they wanted to major in because of this event.
“I had multiple students that walked away, that decided right then that they knew they wanted to do music therapy,” Farmer said. “So, that’s a really big piece, you know, of the puzzle sometimes is just our high school students don’t necessarily know, because there’s so many avenues.”
Some Upward Bound alumni were also at the tailgate. Timber Ross is an IWU alum who was part of Eastern Kentucky University’s Upward Bound program.
“They really encouraged me just to figure out in college what I wanted to do, and if I changed my major it was fine, and just to get life experiences and things,” Ross said. “And so because of that, I’ve been a nurse for 12 years.”
Like Ross, some students who are part of a specific college’s Upward Bound program choose to attend a different university after graduating.
“I’m a little biased, obviously, as an alum, so I want them to come here (IWU), but the beauty of Upward Bound in general is we find things that fit the student and then we help them get to where they need to go, but they know that being a part of Upward Bound, this is always home,” Farmer said. “It’s kind of like one of the banners in the student center: ‘Once a wildcat, always a wildcat.’”
The IWU chapter of Upward Bound focuses mostly on Marion and Mississinewa school districts, but any student who qualifies is encouraged to apply.
Alexis Podgers