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FARMINGTON – The University of Maine at Farmington’s Upward Bound Program was recently awarded a $20,000 grant as part of the newly-created Maine College Access Challenge Grant program administered by the Finance Authority of Maine. One of 18 awards received by schools and non-profits across the state, the UMF Upward Bound grant will be used to enhance its mission to increase the number of low-income, first-generation students who are prepared to enter and succeed in post-secondary education.
One of eight federal TRIO programs designed to serve individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds, Upward Bound provides fundamental support to participants in their preparation for college entrance. According to Lynn Ploof-Davis, director of the Upward Bound program affiliated with UMF, the grant will provide opportunities for high school students in their program to visit various colleges in New England—
helping them get a firsthand view of what each college has to offer and where they can be the most successful.
“We currently work with 67 high school students from 11 schools in west central Maine,” said Ploof-Davis. “Visiting colleges helps each of them see higher education as a real possibility for themselves. Our bus trip to schools in Boston and elsewhere in New England is really the beginning of a bigger journey for our students, where they are excited about their continuing education and even more committed to making it happen.”
In addition to college visits, the grant will also help Upward Bound provide targeted workshops focusing on increasing financial literacy for high school students and TRIO alums who are currently attending UMF. These sessions will help students understand the financial resources that are available to them, how to make good financial decisions, how and when to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), the difference between loans and grants and more.
In the past 10 years, 87 percent of UMF Upward Bound students have increased their high school grade point average (GPA) since entering the program. Of the UMF Upward Bound high school seniors during that time, 80 percent have enrolled in college with 92 percent of those students enrolling in bachelor’s degree programs.
Since it first began in 1980, the UMF Upward Bound Program has helped prepare over 500 young people for higher education. Students in the program participate year-round throughout high school receiving academic support, college admission assistance, career counseling and cultural/recreational opportunities. There are over 800 Upward Bound programs across the country.
