Admission
The USF Upward Bound project selects students in the 9th and 10th
grades. Applications for admission are accepted from students attending
any high school in the city and county of San Francisco; however priority
status is given to the comprehensive public high schools: Galileo,
Mission, Balboa, ISA, Burton, Marshall, O'Connell, Wallenberg, Washington,
and Lincoln. Upward Bound sends outreach advisors to these school
sites to recruit potential participants. These advisors conduct classroom
presentations, meet with high school guidance counselors and other
administrators, as well as talk to students during classroom breaks
to promote the program and recruit students. School staff often make
referrals, however, currently enrolled students are the program's
best recruiters. Interested students are given project applications
to complete. The completed applications are used to determine eligibility
for the Project. An interview is scheduled for the student and the
parent/guardian to complete the admission process. Once a student
has been admitted to the project there is no need to reapply or re-qualify
annually. As long as the student maintains satisfactory progress they
remain in the project through graduation from high school. The rrecruitment
period begins in the fall semester and continues until all available
slots have been filled. This usually occurs by early spring.
Academic Advising
Academic advising takes place both at the participants' school sites
and at the Upward Bound office on a weekly basis. This service is
highly individualized. Each student will meet with an advisor to review
his or her academic progress. Students are required to turn in progress
reports and grades as well as complete a personalized education plan
each semester that requires them to set academic and personal goals.
Tutoring
Tutoring takes place at the University of San Francisco. Students
receive individual tutoring from USF and other college students.
Tutoring is offered Monday- Friday (3:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.) and on
Saturday (12:00- 2:00 p.m.). Students who have grades below average
are required to come to tutoring twice a week.
Activities
Students are provided with complimentary tickets to a wide variety
of social and cultural events. The program periodically attends
NBA and NFL games, theater and dance performances, the circus, museums,
galleries, music events, films, and other events that low-income
persons generally do not have access to. Two retreats to Lake Tahoe
occur each year. One is a summer camping trip for juniors entering
their senior year. The other is a winter ski trip for seniors. These
retreats serve several purposes: 1) allow the students to access
nature, 2) to discuss the challenges of obtaining their goal of
attending higher education, 3) to support each-other along this
difficult path. Every year students are chosen to attend a national
policy seminar in Washington, D.C. with the director of the program
to advocate the importance of the project to elected officials on
capitol hill.
Summer School
An academic summer school is held each year on the USF campus. Students
can receive credit towards their high school graduation requirements
for successfully completing their course work. Classes do not exceed
20 students. Students may take up to three classes. All students
will have an opportunity to live in the campus dormitories at some
point during their participation in the program. The program pays
for room and board expenses including three meals a day. Commute
students are provided with daily lunch. All students have access
to the campus library, computer labs, and multi-million dollar sports
facility.
Summer School Activities
Each week students lead an ethnic awareness activity that highlights
a particular culture's way of celebrating or living. Every Tuesday
and Thursday students attend developmental workshops. These include
classes in martial arts, yoga, career development, visual and performing
arts, and computers.
Saturday Workshops
During the academic school year all students attend workshops on
Saturday. These workshops are generally two hours in length and
are held on the USF campus. The performing art students collaborated
with Cultural Odyssey and the Aftican American Cultural Center in
the development of a play.
The Arts
We offer instruction and training in the visual and performing arts.
The project has offered instruction in dance, music, theater, computer
design, digital photography, digital video production, and creative
writing. Classes are small, instruction is rigorous, and expectations
are high. All art disciplines are project based and students are
required to demonstrate their artwork for the public.
College Tours
Throughout the year Upward Bound takes students on local and regional
tours of colleges and universities. Each year students entering
their junior year are offered the opportunity to tour universities
as far south as San Diego. The program pays for this tour which
includes over night stays at hotels, meals, and entrance to entertainment
parks.
Mentorship
Upward Bound attempts to provide each participant with a mentoring
experience. Students are paired with a college student or working
professional for a period of time to discuss their aspiration and
get inspiration from someone who has overcome similar barriers that
the typical Upward Bound student faces.
Employment
The federal grant provides for each participant to receive a small
stipend each year. Additionally, both the staff and students write
grants to fund projects in which the students can be paid participants.
The program also employs a limited amount of students during the
summer component to work on campus. During the school year students
are not encouraged to work unless they are in good academic standing.
Upward Bound works with several youth employment agencies including
the Mayor's Youth Education and Employment Program and provides
participants with referrals.
Senior Bridge
Once students become seniors they attend workshops to prepare them
for the college admissions process. They are assisted with making
decisions on which colleges to attend, securing and completing college
admission , financial aidand scholarships applications. All seniors
must complete a college application, personal resume, and apply
for at least one scholarship. Upward Bound holds a graduation ceremony
for seniors in June of each year where graduates who successfully
complete program procedures are awarded with a stipend of up to
$500.
Upward Bound Graduates
The project follows its graduates after they leave the program through
the completion of their college education. Future funding of the
project is based on the "successful completion of a post secondary
education for all participants.. To further insure this, the project
refers its graduates to support services on the college campus they
attend and periodically asks students to fill out reports on their
academic progress. <future site for alumni link?>
faq=>
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the Upward Bound program include?
Upward Bound offers a Summer Residential and Academic Year Component
of instruction, tutoring, advise/counseling, and supplemental activities
such as camping, college tours, career exploration internships,
mentoring, leadership development, and social and cultural awareness
development. As part of the Summer Program, participants receive
credit, applied toward their high school graduation, for the successful
completion of college preparatory courses. The Academic Year Component
is centered on the Saturday Sessions of academic instruction and
student development designed to motivate participants. After school
tutorials are offered daily on the USF campus. Student Advisors
are assigned to the various target schools to monitor and serve
participants weekly at their school sites. Throughout the year we
offer classes in theater, dance, music production, digital video
& photography, computer design, and creative writing.
What does Upward Bound accomplish?
Upward Bound annually proposes that ninety percent of the graduating
participants will graduate from high school and enroll in post secondary
education; a rate 22% higher than the San Francisco Unified School
District. Furthermore, fifty percent of the graduating participants
will complete their post secondary education within 5 years, a rate
consistent with the current California State University 5-year completion
rate of 51% for all students. The chart below shows the college
enrollment and retention rates of this UB project.
Class of Graduated Enrolled in PSE % Enrolled PSE
1999 22 22 100%
2000 33 31 94%
2001 32 31 97%
2002 26 26 100%
2003 35 27 79%
Class of Enrolled PSE Retained in PSE % Retained
1999 22 18 82%
2000 31 31 100%
2001 32 32 100%
2002 26 26 100%
2003 27 27 100%
PSE= Post Secondary Educational Institution
Why do we need Upward Bound?
Upward Bound addresses the academic, social, and economic conditions
that pose serious problems for low-income, potential first generation
college students. These include but are not limited to high school
drop out, poor performance on college admission assessment exams,
after-school activities, teen violence, youth underemployment, and
college enrollment.
What role do parents play?
Upward Bound parents are vital to the success of the program. Since
most of our parents have not attended college it is important that
they become educated about the college admissions process. Parents
are motivators, fundraisers, and integral co-participants of the
project.
How can I support?
San Francisco professionals are recruited to donate their time to
teach and mentor the students throughout the year. We also need
funds to support our graduates in financing their college education.
Each year our goal is to provide each graduate with $500. All corporate
and personal contributions are welcome and tax deductible. Please
call the office for more information
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