Listen: I remember the school year feeling incredibly long, and as the weather got warmer and the world turned from drab to brilliant green, it became almost impossible to sit still in class. Summer could never come soon enough. So, as we take a look at what youth are doing over the summer, during a week with the theme “Learning and Academics,” you might think I’d be putting a microphone in front of some kids begrudgingly shackled to desks and textbooks.
At Marquette’s TRIO-supported Upward Bound college prep summer program, that couldn’t be further from the truth. I stopped in on the first day of orientation, where the students ranged from edgy-eyed first years to veterans entering their fourth year of the program. And the common thread that tied all these students together? An excitement about learning and a summer full of challenges.
The first student I met was Anthony, who was just getting his feet wet in the Upward Bound program. And after you hear this piece, like me, I’m sure you’ll have no doubt that he’s totally prepared: see podcast below.
In this piece, colorful and charming second-year student Kalilah recounts the highlight of her first year – the Rube Goldberg Project.
Next, we hear from students from the Upward Bound Math and Science program, Karina and Tanisha (they actually had to run off before I could get a picture of them, but you can figure out who they are in the photo at the top by process of elimination if you’d like). Karina is entering her first year, so minutes after they met, I had Tanisha give her a little guidance entering her first year:
To learn more about Marquette’s TRIO-supported Upward Bound, as well as Upward Bound Math and Science, have a look at their website.