More than 800 people are expected to attend the 20th anniversary celebration of CU Upward Bound July 28 in the Glenn Miller Ballroom at the University of Colorado at Boulder.
The federally funded program provides qualifying high school students living on or near American Indian reservations the opportunity to experience a college atmosphere before they graduate from high school. More than 1,000 students have participated in the CU-Boulder program.
CU Upward Bound began in 1979 and the first summer academic institute was held on the Boulder campus in 1980. The program has provided many American Indian high school students with an avenue to success.
"I look forward to seeing all of the alumni that have taken advantage of this special and unique program," said Lindy Waters, program director. "Over the past 20 years the program has truly made an impact on American Indian education across the country. This event will be a wonderful Upward Bound family reunion."
The featured speaker at the 6 p.m. banquet is former CU Upward Bound Director Rick Williams, executive director of the American Indian College Fund.
Upward Bound students are drawn from 17 targeted high schools that are on or near major American Indian reservations. Each year, Waters and his staff work with 80 to 105 students from Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington and Wyoming.
Approximately 70 percent of former CU Upward Bound students entered institutions of higher education and many have attended prestigious colleges and universities across the country.
Prospective students must meet federal low-income guidelines or be potential first-generation college students, with neither parent having a bachelor聮s degree.
During the academic year, students receive a monthly homework assignment designed to supplement their high school curriculum. Each summer the students attend a six-week program on the CU-Boulder campus consisting of academic courses, career speakers and educational field trips. By their last summer on campus, the students' academic work closely resembles college-level studies.
Students are encouraged to apply to the program during their freshman or sophomore year, and if accepted, remain in the program until their high school graduation. Their academic pursuits are then tracked for six years after graduation. Admission to the Upward Bound program is based on student grades, teacher recommendations and two written essays from the student.
Upward Bound receives its funding from the U.S. Department of Education and is one of several programs at CU-Boulder established by Congress to help low-income Americans enter college and graduate.
For more information, call the CU Upward Bound office at (303) 492-6134 or (800) 926-5099, or visit the Web site at .