This has been a banner year for the Texas Wesleyan University’s Upward Bound Programs! Not only did the classic Upward Bound (UB) program receive a renewal and a new grant, but the Upward Bound Math & Science program also received a new grant, in addition to the old one. With these newly acquired grants, the Upward Bound Programs have now effectively doubled in size from two programs to four.

The addition of these new grants will naturally bring about some changes. The Upward Bound Programs will now go from serving 110 FWISD students to 242 FWISD students. In order to accommodate this increase of students, the Programs will have to double in staff size, as well. Another welcomed change that comes with this new grant cycle is that Texas Wesleyan University now has the special distinction of having the only Upward Bound Math & Science (UBMS) in Fort Worth.

The UBMS program has long provided historically underserved high school students a pathway to careers in the STEM fields. Some of those underserved students come from our neighboring Polytechnic HS, where the Texas Wesleyan Upward Bound Programs will be the only UB and UBMS present in that high school. “Texas Wesleyan University’s Upward Bound Programs have had a profound impact on Polytechnic HS students. Our number of students attending college has increased and families continue to encourage siblings to join the program,” said Polytechnic HS teacher, Ms. Jamie Cox.

Fort Worth ISD has benefitted greatly from the presence of the Texas Wesleyan University’s Upward Bound Programs in several high schools: Polytechnic, North Side, and Diamond Hill Jarvis. The new grants for both UB and UBMS will now allow these programs to serve students at Dunbar HS. This is a great opportunity for the programs to work in tandem with the Collegiate Academy at Dunbar High School, which operates out of Texas Wesleyan University. Thanks to new grants, the Upward Bound Programs can guide even more students into pursuing post-secondary education and, ultimately, graduating from college.