The Upward Bound program at Kilgore College is seeking high school student applicants from Kilgore, Pine Tree and Longview independent school districts for the 2024-25 school year.
Upward Bound is a federal grant program funded by the Department of Education, sponsored locally at KC.
The program provides support for income-eligible and first-generation high school students in preparation for college entry. The goal of UB is to increase the rate that participants complete high school, and enroll in and graduate from college.
“Since 2007, Upward Bound at KC has assisted more than 300 students to graduate from high school with more than 80% of graduates enrolling in college,” said Rebekah Metcalf, KC’s Upward Bound director. “Our focus right now is recruiting 9th grade students, but we can also consider students in 10th and 11th grades.”
Upward Bound at KC also provides a number of services including academic and personal counseling, assistance with college searches, application/admissions processes, academic study skills, and more.
“We have a variety of programming each year, including a 6-week summer academic program, college campus visits, cultural experiences and volunteer opportunities,” Metcalf said.
For more information on the Upward Bound program at KC or to apply, visit www.kilgore.edu/upwardbound.
Upward Bound serves:
- High school students whose parents’ or guardians’ income meets federal income guidelines; and/or
- High school students from families in which neither parent holds a bachelor’s degree (first-generation students)
About Upward Bound:
In 1964, the Economic Opportunity Act established Upward Bound as a pilot program in response to the War on Poverty. It was the first of seven federal “TRIO” programs to later be authorized by the Higher Education Act to help college students succeed in higher education. It recognizes that students whose parents do not have a college degree have more difficulties navigating the complexity of decisions that college requires for success, bolsters students from low-income families who have not had the academic opportunities that their college peers have had and helps remove obstacles preventing students from thriving academically. At least two-thirds of the students in each local Upward Bound program are from economically disadvantaged backgrounds and families in which neither parent has a bachelor’s degree. Campus-based Upward Bound programs provide students instruction in literature, composition, mathematics, science and foreign language during the school year and the summer.