Last week, about 500 students gathered at the Davis Center at the University of Vermont to celebrate what many of them thought was unattainable: the goal of going to college.
The students were from Vermont and upstate New York Upward Bound programs – it’s a federal program that mentors teenagers from low-income and immigrant families, and students who would be the first in their families to attend college. They get one-on-one support with school work, standardized tests, help with navigating financial aid and guidance in applying to college. And during the summer, they study on college campuses.
On Thursday, Vermont Edition intern Evan Johnson went to the Upward Bound jamboree at UVM and heard what past and present students had to say about their experiences.