GCC awarded $3 million for Upward Bound to help students from Genesee, Wyoming counties

Press Release, Genesee Community College

BATAVIA – The U.S. Department of Education announced that Genesee Community College’s TRiO Upward Bound Program will receive a 5-year, $1.5 million federal Upward Bound grant for both Genesee and Wyoming counties ($3 million total) to help more low-income students who would be the first members of their families to earn degrees, to prepare for and enroll in college.

Upward Bound is an intensive intervention program that prepares students for higher education through various enrichment courses. At least two-thirds of the students in each local Upward Bound program are from low-income economic backgrounds and families in which neither parent has a bachelor’s degree. GCC’s Upward Bound program services seven schools in Genesee and Wyoming Counties.

Many Upward Bound alumni have gone on to great success, among them Academy Award-winning actress Viola Davis, Correspondent for ABC News John Quinones and Hall of Fame NBA player Patrick Ewing.

“We are so pleased to be able to provide these vital services to the students of Genesee and Wyoming counties,” said Lisa Krause, director of Upward Bound Programs at GCC. “Without Upward Bound, many underprivileged students might lack some of the opportunities or skills needed to obtain a college degree.”

Campus-based Upward Bound programs provide students instruction in literature, composition, mathematics, science, and foreign language during the school year and the summer. Upward Bound also provides intensive mentoring and support for students as they prepare for college entrance exams and tackle admission applications, financial aid and scholarship forms.

According to the U.S. Department of Education, 86% of Upward Bound participants enroll in postsecondary institutions immediately following high school graduation. In fiscal year 2021, more than 70,000 students enrolled in 966 Upward Bound TRiO projects in the United States.