[COC] – College of the Canyons has entered into a partnership with the William S. Hart Union High School District to launch an ‘Upward Bound’ program at the Golden Valley High School campus, designed to increase the number of GVHS students who earn a diploma and move on to pursue their education at a college or university.

The partnership is the result of a five-year, roughly $1.25 million grant awarded to the college by the U.S. Department of Education meant to assist high school students that have the academic potential to succeed, but who need enrichment and encouragement in order to prepare for and ultimately be successful in college.

Serving 60 students at GVHS each year, the COC Upward Bound program will specifically target Golden Opportunities for Academic Learning and Success (GOALS) program students. The first cohort of participating students has already been identified, and will begin the program in the fall 2012 semester.

In order to be eligible for the program, students must meet the following eligibility requirements:

* have completed the eighth grade but have not entered the twelfth grade;

* have a demonstrated need for academic support;

* be a first generation college student from a low-income household (income that is 150 percent of the poverty-level) or have a high risk of academic failure;

* be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States, aged 13-19.

“We are thrilled to be able to work with our partners at Golden Valley High School and the Hart District to ensure that these students not only graduate from high school, but are prepared to excel when they reach college,” said Dr. Barry Gribbons, COC Assistant Superintendent–Vice President, Institutional Development & Technology. “This program is especially meaningful to us since a large majority of these students will be the first-generation in their family to attend college.”

Throughout the 2012-13 academic year, students enrolled in the program will be provided with weekly tutoring sessions held at GVHS and led by students from the college’s Mathematics, Engineering and Science Achievement (MESA) program. Also included will be monthly workshops for students and their parents on topics including: how to form an academic plan; the importance of preparing for a postsecondary education; and how to become financially and economically literate.

During the summer months, students will attend a six-week summer institute which will provide additional instruction in the fields of math, laboratory science, literature and both Spanish and English composition. In addition, scheduled field trips, guest speakers and group-wide advisement sessions will help students begin to understand how their academic interests can connect to future academic and career training options.

Throughout the program, participants will also be introduced to various potential career pathways in math, science, engineering and other emerging technologies, through the use of lab space and equipment available at College of the Canyons.

“The college has worked very hard over the last few years to aggressively seek external grant funding that could be used to purchase state-of-the-art equipment in nanotechnology, biotechnology and materials engineering to ensure students experience the use and application of contemporary equipment,” said Omar Torres, Dean of Mathematics, Sciences and Engineering at the college.

As the program gets underway, the college’s Office of Institutional Development and Technology will be responsible for providing an annual Upward Bound program evaluation, designed to help follow up with former students and assess the degree to which the program’s objectives are being fulfilled.

For more information about the College of the Canyons Upward Bound program contact Omar Torres at 661-362-3135.