Yahoo Autos FSU CARE gets $1.4m to expand program focused on students from low-income families
Florida State University’s Center for Academic Retention and Enhancement (CARE) received $1.4 million to expand its Upward Bound program to Suwannee and Hamilton counties — adding on to its current presence in Gadsden and Jackson counties.
The program, which will serve 60 high school students from low-income families in the two counties, is funded by the U.S. Department of Education over a five-year cycle. Student recruitment for the program begins this November.
CARE Director DeOnte Brown, who began his role in 2021, was an Upward Bound student himself from 2003 to 2006 when he attended Gadsden County High School, formerly known as East Gadsden High. He believes that the eastward expansion will expose more students to the opportunity of going to college.
“For me to be an alum of the program and have an opportunity to bring this unique, life-changing experience to other students has been rewarding,” said Brown, who is also the assistant dean of undergraduate studies at FSU. “It’s a really great opportunity to be a part of the expansion and the impact in our local communities.”
Upward Bound helps students in grades 9-12 by preparing them to graduate high school in order to attend and graduate from the college of their choice.
After the U.S government created Upward Bound as part of the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964, which established a variety of social programs, FSU’s CARE — founded in 1968 — launched the program in Gadsden County in 1989 and has been running it for decades.
FSU junior De’Ondre Henderson was in the Upward Bound program during his time at Gadsden County High School and is currently a CARE student.
“I wanted to invest in as many opportunities as I could to better my chances of getting into Florida State,” said Henderson, 19. “It was very inclusive, educational and beneficial for me as a high school student, and I hope others get the same experience I was able to get — if not, more.”
Other Florida State University news:
See photos from memorial service at FSU in honor of 2018 yoga studio shooting victims
FSU to hold memorial service for 2018 yoga studio shooting victims, launch new initiative
Florida Student Association reintroduces Hunger Free Campus Grant to fight food insecurity
Upward Bound helps get students to graduation
In 2020 and 2021, Upward Bound in Gadsden County had a 100% high school graduation rate, where 80% of the program’s participants enrolled in college after graduating. This year’s graduation rate was 95%.
Three seniors from the program in Gadsden County enrolled at FSU this fall while five enrolled in fall 2021 and six enrolled in fall 2020. In 2020 and 2021 combined, 52% of the Upward Bound seniors who enrolled at a four-year university chose FSU. A majority of the remaining participants usually attend Florida A&M University or Tallahassee Community College, Brown said.
FSU’s CARE recently expanded Upward Bound to Jackson County this year through a previous fund of $3.5 million awarded by the DOE in June, where $2.1 million went toward the program in Gadsden County and $1.4 million went toward Jackson County to initiate the program there.
Upward Bound in the headlines:
FSU's CARE program gets $3.5M to strengthen Upward Bound in Gadsden, Jackson counties
Participants in FSU's Upward Bound excel in academics during pandemic
The $1.4 million being used for the program in Suwannee and Hamilton counties will go toward hiring two full-time staff members, funding a six-week summer residential experience to host students on FSU’s campus, taking college tours, tutoring and providing resources for test preparations.
FAMU, which has a sister program to Upward Bound called Upward Bound Math and Science with a specific focus on STEM, also received federal funding recently in the amount of $1.7 million for the next five years to continue serving high school students in Leon and Madison counties.
Similar to FAMU's program, FSU's Upward Bound initiative at Suwannee and Hamilton counties will focus on math and science.
Other Florida A&M University news:
'No action required': FAMU earns a flawless NCAA Academic Performance Program audit
FAMU says goodbye to Set Friday, what you need to know about the changes to the tradition
Two-time FSU alumna and former CARE student Tabisha Raymond from Kissimmee served as a mentor, tutor and summer residential counselor for Upward Bound in Gadsden County during her time at FSU.
Her inspiration for getting involved in the program stemmed from her love for helping others, which she continues to do through her role as the assistant director of First@Colgate, a program for first-generation students at Colgate University in Hamilton, New York.
“As a low-income, first-generation college graduate, the (Upward Bound) program was something I wish my community had at the students' age,” said Raymond, 24. "The program is more than just an after-school or summer institute. It is a family.”
FSU alumnus Derrick Woodard, another former CARE student, was also involved in Upward Bound as a mentor and counselor while attending the university and is currently a tutor for the program in Gadsden County High School. He believes its expansion will give more underrepresented students the support they deserve.
“Honestly, it feels as though I am fulfilling my purpose by allowing students from disadvantaged backgrounds a chance to realize that their upbringing does not shape their future,” said Woodard, 21.
While FSU’s CARE expects to serve 80 Upward Bound students in Gadsden County and 60 in Jackson County in the 2022-23 school year, the program will start by serving a total of 60 students in Hamilton County High School and Suwannee High School.
“I want the students to know that college is always an option,” Brown said. “It is often said that college isn’t for everyone, but college is an option for everyone. I want them to know that it is there for them if that is what they decide they want their next step to be.”
Contact Tarah Jean at tjean@tallahassee.com or follow her on twitter @tarahjean_.
Never miss a story: Subscribe to the Tallahassee Democrat using the link at the top of the page.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU’s CARE expands Upward Bound program to Suwannee, Hamilton counties
