UC Riverside's TRiO program assists youth with college preparation
UC Riverside's TRiO program assists youth with college preparation
10:00 PM PST on Friday, December 18, 2009
By JENNIFER DEAN
The Press-Enterprise
When current UC Riverside student Mark Huertas was in high school, he had no idea how he was going to get into college.
During his sophomore year at San Bernardino High School, he joined the Education Talent Search program, which is part of a U.S. Department of Education grant designed to help low-income middle and high school students pursue a college education.
"I didn't know anything. I just knew there was a process you had to go through," Huertas said. "ETS let me know there were tests I had to take, deadlines I had to meet. They urged me to get involved in extracurricular activities at school so I could have an advantage over the average student."
The program is part of UCR's TRiO department, which also includes the Upward Bound program. TRiO counselors in both programs work with sixth- to 12th-grade students, counseling them to take the right classes and standardized tests to get as many high school seniors enrolled in college as possible.
ETS services are free, but participating students must attend a school where the program is offered, come from a low-income household and/or be a potential first-generation college student, meaning neither parent has a college education.
"We want to show there is hope, there is a way for them to break a cycle of poverty and stop living paycheck to paycheck," said Mili Holleran, ETS assistant director.
The Upward Bound program provides free services to prepare students for college at five Inland region high schools: Perris High, Rubidoux High, Moreno Valley High, Banning High and Beaumont High. UB includes two programs titled Classic and Oasis, both of which are funded by a U.S. Department of Education grant.
Both programs provide the same services, including academic advising, after-school tutoring, college campus visits and cultural activities. There is also an intensive six-week summer program, which buses students from their high schools to UCR, where they take academic and elective classes during the day. During the last two weeks, students move into UCR residence halls to experience college life.
Adan Pulido, a junior at UCLA, participated in the UB program during high school.
"It did a lot to expose me to the college experience," Pulido said. "It was a big help to me and my academic career."
Many students are intimidated by the processes involved in applying for college, getting student loans and testing involved -- especially those who come from families who lack experience in a college setting.
"There are students out there with three-point, three-point-five, four-point, four-point-five GPAs who don't know they can go to college or don't know how to apply," said Alicia Velazquez, TRiO director.
Reach Jennifer Dean at 951-368-9336, jdean@PE.com or http://blogs.pe.com/moms.
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