The Michigan State University Upward Bound program is celebrating its 50th year on campus.
For the past 50 years, MSU’s Upward Bound program has helped hundreds of high school youth in the Lansing area from low-income families and/or families in which neither parent holds a bachelor’s degree to complete high school and enter a post-secondary educational institution.
The program provides fundamental support and academic instruction in mathematics, laboratory sciences, composition, literature and foreign languages. Tutoring, counseling, mentoring, career exploration, cultural enrichment and work-study programs are also offered.
Upward Bound began as an experimental program in the U.S. Office of Economic Opportunity in 1964 as a key element of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s War on Poverty, enrolling 2,061 participants at 17 programs the following year. Today, more than 80,000 students participate in 964 Upward Bound programs nationwide.
MSU Upward Bound alumna Amanda (Meeks) Mellenberger, a Lansing Everett High School graduate who earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from MSU, said the program’s summer programs shaped her success.
“The two summer classes that were most beneficial for me were geometry and American literature,” she said. “At the start of my geometry class in the fall, I was already familiar with the concepts, which I believe provided me the drive, as well as an advantage, to succeed. In the American literature summer class, I was taught a structured format for writing a persuasive theme paper. That structure facilitated my analytical mind to easily organize my thoughts and ultimately become a better writer. I truly believe these preparatory classes facilitated me becoming class valedictorian.”
MSU Upward Bound alumnus Taying Yang, a Lansing Everett High School graduate who earned a doctor of medicine degree from the MSU College of Human Medicine, said the program gave him the opportunity to graduate from the program with life experiences students can’t learn in the classroom.
“My experience with Upward Bound was key to shaping my interest in both college and in medicine,” he said. “The support and love that the MSU Upward Bound staff gave me as a student was everlasting. The small things you learn as a student in the program can easily be overlooked, but the impact is truly lifelong. Upward Bound taught me as a freshman in high school the significance of being independent and being responsible, which are traits that are key to success in both college and life.”
An MSU Upward Bound 50th Anniversary celebration, where both current students and program alumni will gather, will take place on Aug. 20.