22 students graduate from Upward Bound program
By Rachel McGrath, Ventura County Star
Twenty-two first-generation high school students from low-income families celebrated their graduation from the 2008 Upward Bound program at a special ceremony Sunday at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks.
With one exception, the seniors were all from the Oxnard Union High School District.
Upward Bound is a college preparation program funded by the U.S. Department of Education.
Nikki Reyes, 18, who attended Channel Islands High School, will study at UC Berkeley. She said she wouldn't have gotten to where she is without Upward Bound. "It's very exclusive, and you get very personal attention. At high school, you didn't get that one-on-one attention."
Reyes, whose family is originally from the Philippines, said the extra tutoring helped prepare her for college in a variety of ways, including help with networking, socialization and financial planning.
The program's interim director, Sergio Galvez, 27, is a graduate of Upward Bound.
He said students accepted to the program commit to attending classes about two Saturdays a month during the academic year and participate in a six-week residential course at Cal Lutheran during the summer.
Ramon Montejano, 18, a Camarillo High senior, plans to major in biology at his top choice, UC Santa Barbara. Neither of his parents went to college. "I'm making it step by step," he said. "The preparation that this program gives you, and the overall experience you get, helps your character."
Claudia Huizar's parents, Blanca, a homemaker, and Baudelio, an agricultural worker, came to California from Mexico 29 years ago.
"They are very proud of me and know I am making progress in my life and going places they were never able to go," said Claudia, translating her mother's words from Spanish.
Claudia, a senior at Channels Islands High School, is the last of the couple's four daughters to win a place at college and plans to study communications at San Diego State University.
"The look on their faces makes it all worth it," she said.
Rene Farfan, 17, who also attended Channels Islands High, was born in Mexico and moved to California when he was 4. His father, a former agricultural worker, now works as a forklift driver, and his mother, who once picked strawberries, works in a factory.
Farfan won a $20,000 scholarship from computer manufacturer Dell to help pay for his tuition at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, where he plans to study aerospace engineering.
"My parents are always reminding me that they came here to give us opportunity," he said.
Other 2008 program graduates are heading off to Arizona State, CSU Northridge, CSU Channel Islands, Ventura College and Dominican University in River Forest, Ill., among others.
--- Published in the Ventura County Star on June 2, 2008