California State University Dominguez Hills in Carson has received Upward Bound grants totaling $5.2 million to provide 240 students at five local high schools with financial aid to prepare them for college.
The funds will be used over five years for students who enter the ninth grade as well as those who stay in school through grade 12. The funding will underwrite after-school, weekend and year-round activities for low-income, first-generation youth at Carson, Gardena, Hawthorne, Leuzinger and Jefferson high schools.
“In addition to creating a college-going culture that can literally change lives, the program focuses on making sure that youth take the proper classes and get the right advice as well as mentoring and tutoring,” said Dr. William Franklin, vice president of student affairs at Cal State Dominguez Hills.
Participants will spend three weeks during the summer months living on campus and taking college-level courses.
The grants will fund programs running this month through Aug. 31, 2022. Youth must submit an application to compete for a slot which will remain open until all are filled. A representative of Upward Bound may be contacted at the specific schools eligible for the program for more information.
Upward Bound is part of the TRIO program designed to get students to attend college by connecting with them as early as seventh grade and maintaining contact with them until they potentially graduate from college and attend graduate school.
