Trinity’s Upward Bound Grant Renewed

The Upward Bound program at Trinity University has received a U.S. Department of Education grant of more than $1.8 million to continue helping prepare high school students for college. Funding will continue through August 2022.

Simone Carnegie-Diaz ’94, director of Trinity’s Upward Bound, says that since the inception of the program in 1980 at Trinity, 51 percent of the program’s graduates have successfully earned post-secondary degrees. For nearly 40 years, Upward Bound has served high school students from low-income families and those in which neither parent holds a bachelor's degree.

“Many times students arrive in Upward Bound with a desire to go to college, but no knowledge of the path to obtaining a post-secondary degree,” Carnegie-Diaz says. “Through our courses, instructors assist students in mastering the content of their high school courses so that they can excel academically and be prepared for the rigor of college.”

In addition, the program’s cultural field trips and college visits expose students to professional careers, opportunities, and colleges in San Antonio and nationally in order to “dream larger and aspire to reach greater heights.” Workshops empower students and families to navigate the college and financial aid processes that make attaining a college degree a reality, she adds.

This summer, the program is serving 58 students from the Harlandale and Edgewood school districts, along with another 15 who have graduated and are college bound in the fall. One of them is Rosario “Rosie” Moreno, who will be a senior in the fall at the S.T.E.M. Early College High School in the Harlandale ISD.

“The program takes the skills you already possess and makes them stronger,” Moreno says. “I will always be proud of my growth with the Upward Bound program.”

Carnegie-Diaz further describes the program in the words of a graduate from the 2012 class of Upward Bound who went on to Stanford University: “Upward Bound is not just a college readiness program; it is also a creator, supporter and enabler of dreams.”  

Maria Olalde, a member of the Upward Bound class of 2013 and a Trinity graduate in May with a degree in anthropology and a member of the McNair Scholars program, said Upward Bound helped her gain skills in communication, time management, and organization.

Another Trinity connection is Deneese Jones, vice president for Academic Affairs, who graduated from South Oak Cliff High School in Dallas and took part in the Upward Bound program at SMU.

Why Upward Bound is Important to Me

by Rosario Moreno

As I enter my fourth year in the Upward Bound program, I look back and see how far I have come. Going into the program, I was severely shy and very reticent, but now -- entering my senior year at the S.T.E.M. Early College High School -- I can say that being part of Upward Bound has really opened my eyes to see my own potential and greatness. I can now identify myself as a leader and a strong individual.

What Upward Bound does is not just give textual college advice, but it digs deeper. The program takes the skills you already possess and makes them stronger. It is amazing how just sitting in on lectures, going on community service trips, and taking Latin courses can make you feel so much more prepared for the real world. The faculty are doing their absolute best to create successful, well-mannered individuals. The faculty in Upward Bound are defined as mentors but they really are so much more. The teachers do their absolute best to motivate and inspire their students. They put so much heart into their lessons and it really motivates the students to go after their goals. It really becomes a family and in this family nothing feels esoteric. I will always be proud of my growth with the Upward Bound program.

Of course, it has been rough going to school on Saturdays and missing out on summer plans, but to see your upperclassmen getting scholarships left and right makes you understand that what you are doing now does lead you to success in the future.

They are able to give you the tools you need to be successful and are constantly giving you insight into a real world environment. I never would have thought that I would serve as a law intern or ever get an internship in a University office. I really did think that was just for super smart kids.

Last summer I gained hands-on experience as a law intern. I honestly never imagined myself doing something like this, but UB gave me the support I needed to pursue my goals.  

Neither of my parents obtained a high school diploma and college always seemed out of reach, but ever since I started this program, I have learned that I  have so much potential. Now I can easily see myself going to a four year university. .

With being inspired with Upward Bound’s words I have become a strong leader at my school. I am now a role model in my school and hold several leadership positions. I even founded my own organization helping kids feel empowered. I owe it all to Upward Bound. I have no idea where I would be without the program. I am very grateful the program’s grant was funded again, because it inspires adolescents to do great things. It makes them believe in a different reality. That, with hard work, you have the option to be whoever you want to be in this life.