FAU Broward Campuses News

FAU Davie Campus' Upward Bound Continue Helping Academically Talented High School Students

by Roberto Santiago & Alberto Fernandez | Sunday, Nov 22, 2020
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FAU Upward Bound, at the FAU Davie campus, is a federally-funded program through the U.S. Department of Education designed to help academically talented high school students from underserved backgrounds to reach their potential and obtain a college degree.

Upward Bound at FAU Davie serves students at Blanche Ely High School, Boyd Anderson High School, Coconut Creek High School, Dillard High School, Hallandale High School, McArthur High School, Northeast High School, and South Broward High School. When FAU had to stop all face-to-face interaction this past March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Upward Bound consulting and academic programs immediately transitioned to a virtual program model.

FAU Upward Bound

"We were able to have meetings with our students virtually every Friday afternoon," said Pamela King, Assistant Director of FAU Upward Bound. "We called these meetings Connect Fridays. This allowed our staff, Instructors, and students to continue to connect with each other. We used this platform as a wellness check and to provide academic support for our program participants." King said the weekly Zoom video conferences around 40 minutes long, enable students to voice their educational concerns, graduation fears, and college matriculation uncertainty. "Our Connect Friday calls were and continue to be a saving grace because it permits student engagement to continue uninterrupted," King said.

Connect Friday continued throughout the summer and was incorporated into FAU Upward Bound’s Virtual Six Week Summer Academy.

During the summer, students participated in a virtual six-week residential program based out of the FAU Boca Raton campus. The students attend classes in academic subjects such as Mathematics, Science, Writing, Literature, and Foreign Language. Upward Bound students also attend several educational and cultural activities throughout the year.

FAU Upward Bound

"Due to COVID-19, we had to re-vamp the entire Summer Academy program to operate virtually. There were a few hiccups due to everything being new, but we were able to overcome them and have a successful summer academy," King said. "The students were exposed to the normal line up of academic classes, as well as a variety of activities they could participate in on-line. Our students were able to attend virtual College Tours and explore other places of interest virtually."

King is happy that the needs of the high school students they consult are being met despite the challenges presented by the pandemic.

Aside from providing an academic support system, FAU Upward Bound provides workshops and individual counseling sessions for financial aid and scholarship information for college, ACT preparation, and career planning. Upon graduation from high school, Upward Bound Math Science program students have the opportunity to enroll in the Summer Bridge Program at FAU. On Saturday, December 19, FAU Upward Bound has a Senior College Tour event scheduled to take place virtually.