by Brittani Young
Staff writer
High school students are swarming Southeastern’s campus this time of year because Upward Bound is now in session.
Upward Bound is a federally funded program that helps students from low-income families or from families whose parents haven’t graduated from college.
The program allows students to attend college classes and earn credits. It also prepares students for college in their neaer future.
Larry Dresser, director of Upward Bound at Southeastern, said the program is hosting 145 students this summer, but there are 200 students enrolled on the program’s roster.
The summer program began with orientation weekend. This is the weekend before normal classes begin. The students receive their T-shirts and schedules for the summer.
The students arrived on campus June 8. That night, everyone got settled into their rooms and reacquainted with friends.
Early Saturday morning, June 9, the Upward Bound group loaded busses and headed to the University of Central Oklahoma Challenge Course in Edmond. Jordan Hedrick, a tutor mentor, said it was great to see students break out of their comfort zones and to see them cheering on their classmates.
That evening, the group attended an Oklahoma Redhawks game in Oklahoma City.
Sunday, the group toured the Oklahoma Bombing Memorial in Oklahoma City. The Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building was bombed in a terrorist attack on April 19, 1995. The bombing took 168 lives and injured more than 680.
In 2000, the Oklahoma City National Memorial was dedicated at the site of the building. “The entire memorial stands out in itself, the Survivor Tree, the Reflection Water and the chairs on the grass. Each has a deep meaning and special purpose,” said Kylie Brewer, an Upward Bound student.
When touring, the grouped stopped under the Survivor Tree. The tree is more than 80 years old and was almost chopped down to retrieve evidence from its branches and trunk. While at the tree, the students witnessed 2nd Lt. Charles Gather, a former Upward Bound student and Durant High School graduate, present a flag to Dresser and the Upward Bound program of Southeastern. The flag served in the War on Terrorism in Afghanistan.
The day ended back at the students temporary home at SE. Everyone met in the BCM for final announcements and to be informed about the decade project each family will be involved in.
The families are where students are in smaller groups for the summer. Each family has a tutor mentor or parent.
The idea of the project is for everyone to research a decade and give a presentation about it, so everyone can learn a little more about decades before their birth.
The students will be presenting the project near the end of the summer.