Home » All Sections » JU Upward Bound celebrates 2013 graduating class

JU Upward Bound celebrates 2013 graduating class

 By Suwanda Baker/Upward Bound Academic Counselor

JU Upward Bound is a college preparatory program for Duval County High School students. For almost 40 years, we have had the pleasure of working with some of the area’s brightest young adults. This year, we had the privilege of celebrating the successes of our class of 2013 Upward Bound seniors through a delightful graduation ceremony attended by community supporters, friends, family, teachers and staff.

Twenty seniors walked across the stage on May 18 in Terry Concert Hall with smiles on their faces and their futures in their hands. Each senior has been through a rigorous schedule of classwork, tutoring and seminars over the past three years to assist them with graduating from high school and preparing for college.

Through their hard work and dedication, each student has been accepted into a college or university, with many having to choose between a number of prestigious institutions. Most of our seniors have also been awarded grants and scholarships to assist with the costs of going to college. One highlight of the graduation ceremony was the presentation of computers to some of the seniors.  We would like to be able to ensure that all of our hard-working, low-income high school seniors have a computer that they can take with them to college. Last year, we were able to provide one student with a used reconditioned computer.  This year, thanks to the generosity of JU employees, Upward Bound parents and PC Literates (www.pcliterates.com), we were able to award seven students with updated, reconditioned computer systems complete with needed software. Many thanks to everyone involved.  This was a wonderful gift for our students and will go a long way towards their success in college.

It has been an honor for us to work with these talented young adults, and they will be truly missed.  On behalf of the JU Upward Bound program, we would like to thank JU staff and Upward Bound teachers, parents, friends and community supporters who help every day to shape the futures of our young adults. Congratulations to the Upward Bound class of 2013!

To learn more about JU Upward Bound, visit www.ju.edu/upwardbound.