The Carl Sandburg College TRIO Upward Bound program has been awarded more than $1.5M from the U.S. Department of Education to serve area high school students to become first-generation college grads.
Sandburg’s Upward Bound program will receive $312,480 through 2027 to assist high school students in achieving academic success, developing well-rounded citizens, and helping with the transition into post-secondary education — all to obtain a college degree.
Participants must be first-generation college-bound students and/or meet income or academic guidelines. First-generation college students mean neither parent has a bachelor’s degree. The program serves 67 Knox County high school students from the Abingdon-Avon, Galesburg, Knoxville, and ROWVA school districts each year.
“Being awarded this grant cycle means Sandburg will be able to continue to positively support and impact young people in our area as they work toward achieving their goals,” said Sandburg TRIO Upward Bound director Christopher Williams. “Upward Bound gives students the backing and tools they often need to be successful in high school and to become one of the first in their families to graduate from college.”
From the 2020-21 academic year, Upward Bound retained and graduated 99 percent of its participants and 100 percent of participants graduated from high school with a college-prep curriculum.
Upward Bound is a federally funded program that is free to participants. Sandburg has hosted a TRIO Upward Bound program since 1999.
