This school year marks the year the Upward Bound program at Holyoke High School has received the most student applications for admission, making it the Upward Bound chapter with the most students in the program.

Upward Bound is a federally funded program that provides skills and motivation to first generation and low-income high school students who plan on to receive a higher education. As participants of the program, students commit to after school meetings, weekly tutoring sessions, enrichment classes which help prepare students get ready for the college process, and attend a mandatory six-week long summer academy that prepares them for the upcoming school year.

As a result, students feel ready to meet many challenges and expectations that await at college and living away from home. Students who participate in the program and graduate have a high rate of college acceptances which is why students are encourage to apply during their years at Holyoke High.

This year Ana Almeida, the academic advisor for the program, received the highest number of applications since working at Holyoke High School. An estimated total of around forty applications were submitted and throughout winter, each student was given a chance at interviews to prove why they deserved to be in the program and what they would be able to contribute to the group if they were accepted.

“Students need guidance in order to apply to college and there is so many things that they don’t realize that they need during the process. They really need a long time to gain that knowledge so that senior year can go more smoothly and we try to provide them with it [college knowledge] in three and a half years.” said Almeida. “It was really important for us that a lot of students applied because we want to make sure that each student at Holyoke High School has the opportunity to get into the program and college.”

The program can only accept a certain number of students, normally ten students are accepted every year, however, due to the high number of applications the program decided to accept as many at they could.

Eighteen new students have been accepted making Holyoke the location with the largest number of students in comparison to the number of members in the program locations in Springfield and Greenfield schools. Now, there is a total of forty two students in the program at Holyoke High.

“I look forward to the program pushing me to continue to aim for higher success. Upward bound is a place for support in education but also peer support. It already has helped me make new friends with similar goals,” said Nilda Izquierdo (‘19) one of the new members who got accepted into the program.

Students who did not get accepted were put on a wait list in case an opening becomes available. If any student is still interested and they were not accepted into the program this year, there is still an opportunity for them to join in the future.

Members of the Upward Bound program have already welcomed new members and are currently getting ready to bid their farewells to current seniors in the program as graduation approaches and are looking forward to the summer academy.

Upward Bound and its members are excited to see how many new students apply for the program next winter and welcome them as students enter Holyoke High School and decide they want to attend college and move on with their future just like the current members are working hard to do.