Paola Alvarez, recent Eisenhower High School graduate and Ruben Ramirez from MacArthur High School, both current Lone Star College-North Harris students, were given the opportunity this summer to job shadow in the campus' office of enrollment management through the Upward Bound Program.
Upward Bound is a college preparatory program funded by the U.S. Department of Education. Lone Star College-North Harris has offered the UB program to Aldine Independent School District high school students since 1999. Participants receive a variety of services that build upon the necessary skills, which are needed for success in higher education and throughout life. Services include academic advising, tutorials, standardized test preparation and assistance with college admissions and financial aid. Students participating in the Upward Bound Program are four times more likely to earn an undergraduate degree than those students from similar backgrounds who did not participate in the program. New participants must currently be in the 9th, 10th, or 11th grade.
Alvarez, 18, has been an active participant of the Upward Bound program since her junior year at Eisenhower High School.
"I always knew I wanted to go to college and receive a higher education but I wasn't sure how I would afford it. Upward Bound has given me the strength and hope I was seeking to pursue this goal," states Alvarez.
Ramirez, 17, has been an active participant of the Upward Bound program, since his sophomore year at MacArthur High School, earning the prestigious Student of the Year Award in 2007.
"Attending college was the only future I saw for myself, but with high costs and my not so ‘valedictorian' grades, I knew it would be a challenge, a challenge I would never fear because of the help of the UB advisors I met with on a daily basis," says Ramirez.
An additional benefit of the UB program is its job shadowing internships where each student is offered the opportunity to "shadow" a professional in the career field of their interest. Alvarez affirmed that "she had a passion for writing since she was a young girl. People often stated that she would become a successful writer."
Ramirez avowed, "with my outgoing personality and my analytical point of view, I never considered another career path other than Communications and Journalism."
So, the UB program aligned them with C.C. Sutphen, Lone Star College-North Harris' program manager of community and media relations.
"I believe the Upward Bound program is successful because it provides students the one-on-one interactions they need to lift them up, sustain them, and help them focus on their future," said Sutphen.
"It allows them to sharpen their academic, social, and professional skills. The program's director and advisers monitor the student's progress the entire time. And, they also involve the parents."
Both of the recent high school graduates are extremely grateful for this opportunity.
"I believe that media and communication in our society are highly imperative and having the chance to experience this atmosphere is very exciting," says Alvarez.
"This is such a great chance to start networking and gaining real experience within a communications office," states Ramirez.
Upward Bound has truly helped both students complete their dream of attending college. This fall, Alvarez will be a freshman at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas. She plans on returning to Lone Star College-North Harris in the summer to take university transfer courses in order to save money and fast track her bachelor's degree.
Ramirez, who has already completed 32 college credits hours while in high school, will be attending Lone Star College-North Harris for two more semesters and plans to transfer to the University of Texas.
For more information about the Upward Bound program, interested students should call Erin Sheldahl at 281.618.5746 or e-mail erin.a.sheldahl@lonestar.edu.
Lone Star College-North Harris is located at 2700 W.W. Thorne Drive, one-half mile south of FM 1960 E, between Aldine-Westfield and Hardy Roads. For more information about the college, call 281.618.5400 or visit: NorthHarris.LoneStar.edu.
Lone Star College System consists of five colleges, including CyFair, Kingwood, Montgomery, North Harris, and Tomball, six centers and Lone Star College-University Center. It is the largest college system in the Houston area, and third largest community college district in Texas. To learn more, visit LoneStar.edu.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For Media Inquiries Contact:
C.C. Sutphen
281.618.5425, desk
281.639.6381, cell