When I started at Upward Bound, my grades were almost all F’s, but I saw this as an opportunity to get my life on track.
No one in my family had ever gone to college. Upward Bound helped me to get organized, and by the time I graduated, I had all A’s and B’s. During the Upward Bound summer program, I made new friends as well as took some classes. I had the opportunity to experience what it is like to live on a college campus with people I did not know. I also learned how to balance my social life with my homework. I learned how to stay organized, make new friends, and balance out my day. Upward Bound was a crucial part of my high school career and without it, I may not have graduated when I did. Before Upward Bound, I didn’t see college as part of the plan. For lots of young people in Aroostook County, it simply isn’t what’s next, and if none of your family goes to college, it feels like that opportunity was, perhaps, just reserved for someone else. I am now in my second semester of college at the University of Maine at Fort Kent with a 3.0 GPA, and I would not have made it to where I am without Upward Bound pushing me to do my best and to stay focused.
Brandon Hosford
Easton
