The University of Vermont’s TRIO/Upward Bound Program recently received a new five-year cycle of grant funding from the U.S. Department of Education. The program, which operates through UVM’s Center for Academic Success, works closely with low-income and first-generation students at Burlington and Winooski High Schools to support their academic success and prepare for college.

According to Adam Hurwitz, principal investigator for the grant and Upward Bound program director, the funding will continue to help dozens of local students get into college.

“We help students get over the many hurdles they encounter like connecting them with service opportunities in the community, helping them develop applications, getting them through the financial aid process—all the things many first-gen students of limited means have difficulty doing on their own,” he says.

The UVM TRIO/Upward Bound program and three other sites through Vermont fill in many of the gaps that prevent qualified Vermont students from pursuing higher education and persisting in their studies. Data from 2020 show that only 46 percent of Vermont high school graduates from marginalized groups (those living in poverty, English as second language learners, students with disabilities and BIPOC students)—ultimately enroll in higher education, compared to 62 percent of all students.

Track Record of Success

TRIO refers to the three original programs that were funded under Title IV of the 1965 Higher Education Act: Upward Bound, Educational Talent Search, and Special Services (later named Student Support Services). Today, it has 960 chapters across the country, including four in Vermont. The UVM-based program includes a staff of two and an annual budget of $312,000 to support 63 high-schoolers from BHS and Winooski.

Hurwitz says the need is even greater now than when he began working at Upward Bound seven years ago. “There are definitely more qualified students who apply than we have space for. If we can’t accommodate a student we try to keep them posted about any openings in the future.”

Hurwitz is proud of the program’s record. Hundreds of Upward Bound alumni have graduated from UVM, other Vermont institutions, and top schools from around the country.

“One of our former students just graduated from Brown and two others recently enrolled in grad school at UPenn,” he said. “There are five or six current students at Middlebury, and one of our seniors is going to Brandeis. But the point is to help them identify schools that fit with their abilities, their aspirations and their finances.”

Guidance counselors at BHS and Winooski have hundreds of students to advise each year, and first-gen students don’t always get the extra assistance they need to navigate the increasingly complex college admissions process. Hurwitz and Rahelle Gogerly-Moragoda, assistant program director, essentially work as adjuncts to academic counseling staff at the two high schools.

“These kids usually don’t have a parent or older sibling at home chirping in their ear about deadlines and paperwork,” says Hurwitz. “I tell the student ‘You did all of the work. Let’s just help you get to the finish line.’”

During the school year, Upward Bound provides weekly school visits to review academic progress, help set challenging academic goals, assist with career exploration and complete the college search process. Participants are expected to complete a rigorous course load and maintain at least a 2.5 grade point average. A six-week Upward Bound experience called Summer College at UVM provides enrichment courses and an introduction to the college experience.

Giving Back

Hawa Adan has a special appreciation for Upward Bound. She and her family arrived in Vermont from Somalia in 2004 through the Refugee Resettlement Program. The oldest of eight children, she graduated from Burlington High School and went on to earn a BSW degree at Champlain College.

“I appreciated that I could take high level courses at BHS due to the support I got from my teachers and Upward Bound,” she said. “The summer program included a lot of trips and visits to places in the community which was another way for me learn what else was out there and what my direction would be.”

While in college she worked for the Upward Bound summer program. Now she’s working full-time at UVM, splitting her time between the Tutoring Center and Upward Bound. She says supporting other first-gen students at UVM is a way of giving back. Her success is also an example for her seven siblings—her brother Ahmed is now studying at Champlain.

“As the first to go to college in my family I felt that extra responsibility and trying to make myself proud as well as my family proud.”