At a special July 22 ceremony, 16 TRIO Upward Bound graduates received “I Have a Dream” scholarships to further their academic success. In total, they earned $50,000 they can use for college in the next six years.

TRIO Upward Bound (UB) is an academic and college preparatory program funded by the U.S. Department of Education. The purpose of the program is to develop the skills and motivation necessary for students to successfully complete high school and to enter and succeed in college. Housed in CEHD, TRIO UB has been serving Minneapolis high school students for the past 55 years.

This summer, TRIO UB hosted an in-person academic and residential program on the Twin Cities campus. Sixty high school students completed five weeks of academic classes and two weeks of residential living. Eight students participated virtually. The program concludes with an additional week of building skills and experiences during a class trip. There are three this year: the class of 2022 embarked on a three-day college tour, the class of 2023 is taking a six-day wilderness excursion with Voyageur Outward Bound, and the class of 2024 will attend a five-day NASA space camp.

All TRIO UB students have the opportunity to earn $1,000 each year they successfully complete the program—typically all four years of high school—and can earn up to $4,000 to use once they enroll into college immediately after high school graduation.

The funds come from the “I Have a Dream Scholarship,” founded in 1988 by Bill Lahr and Karen Sternal. The scholarship reduces financial barriers to academic opportunity and also motivates students and families to strive for academic success. The scholarship is disbursed to the post-secondary school that TRIO UB alumni attend after successfully completing the program.

Those graduating TRIO UB have high praise for the experience. “I can see myself walking out of there with a future” says Ter Yang. Classmate Hamda Abdi says the program helped them build principles that will keep them strong students in college. Yang, Abdi, and their graduating class are featured in a video retrospective of their time in the program.

The July 22 ceremony highlighted and celebrated the TRIO UB class of 2021 as they graduated and are now scholarship recipients. The event also recognized those who had graduated from the program and have now achieved their dream of a college degree. CEHD Dean Michael C. Rodriguez gave the opening remarks and Senator Tina Smith, a longtime TRIO supporter, was in attendance to address the audience. The event was emceed by current TRIO Bridge students, prior graduates of the UB program now enrolled for fall semester at their respective colleges. The bridge program, which includes one U of M class, a TRIO UB supplemental course, and five weeks of dorm living, prepares them for their first year of college.