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July of this past summer, twenty-five Upward Bound students stood near the Hudson River as the fireworks set off for the Fourth of July. They were amazed at the sight of the exploding light over the Big Apple.
“The view was unbelievable seeing the two bridges and the horizon as the sun was going down and later the fireworks began,” sophomore Brian Navarro said.
These 25 students are part of Upward Bound, a program funded by the government, created for students whose parents did not finish their bachelor’s degree. Each month the students receive $40 dollars for maintaining a GPA of 3.0 or higher.
“Upward bound means a chance, chance to get into college, get into schools. Without Upward Bound my grades would be suffering,” sophomore YoAna Leal said.
Not only does Upward Bound offer the opportunity to attend college but it also gives the students an opportunity to earn college credits while in high school.
“Upward Bound means an opportunity for me to get a hands on experience for college,” senior Maribel Serrano said.
By taking college classes for six weeks students earned themselves a free trip to New York for the Fourth of July. Some were nervous while others were excited to travel across the country and meet the big city.
“At first I wasn’t nervous, but then my mom told me,’ you don’t know how scared I am [that] it’s the Fourth of July and a big city what if something bad happens?’” Navarro said. “And I started thinking about it what if there is a terrorist attack? Thank the Lord there wasn’t.”
As soon as they arrived they started their tour. Walking from street to street and seeing all the spectacular places New York had to offer from Chinatown to the Statue of Liberty.
“The Statue of Liberty, it was more than what I imagined it would be,” Serrano said.
As the trip ended all twenty-five students went home with an experience they wouldn’t forget.
“New York was very different, because how I live in a rural area, and going to a place where the buildings were twice the size as they were where I lived was amazing,” Ortiz said. “But overall I’m thankful for the people that paid this trip and made it possible for us to go.”
