My name is Sam Portera, and I’m a graduate of Limestone Community School. I also spent over 3 years in the Upward Bound program here at Presque Isle.
This program is at risk because of a formatting error in the application for grant renewal, and when we heard what was happening, Upward Bound alumni here in the County, across the state, and actually all over the world sprang into action.
We collected 1,200 letters asking the Department of Education to allow Upward Bound at UMPI and UMFK to compete fairly for the grant money.
No one should ever be doomed to a life of poverty because of the circumstances of their birth, but, all too often, that is exactly what happens. A combination of class and race and gender and sexual orientation and ability and health and appearance and national origin and native language and natural talents conspire, from the second of our birth, to determine the circumstances under which we will live and die.
Upward Bound has been, for 37 years, the lighthouse in the storm, guiding children from across Aroostook County to brighter futures and better lives. Upward Bound intervenes to give kids whose dreams are greater than their circumstances the shot they deserve.
I left home on January 9, 2010 wearing half of a shirt. The other half had been torn off as I tried to both literally and figuratively flee the circumstance into which I had been born. I ran out into a cold Maine night, and Upward Bound was my lighthouse.
Today, I am a college graduate, and I do what I love. Working for a non-profit, I help children achieve their dreams and seniors secure their retirement. I fight for the well-being of workers and the defense of the sick.
And I can state categorically that without a program like Upward Bound, it’s likely that none of that would be true.
So, thank you Upward Bound, for being there for me. Thank you, to the more than 1,000 people who wrote the secretary to defend this program. Thank you to our congressional delegation who has led the fight to defend this program.
I am not alone in my feelings about this program.
I’d like to read a tiny, tiny sample of quotes from the letters we received. A longer, but still partial list is available for distribution.
“My son was able to have experiences and learn things that I could not give him as a parent.”
“Upward Bound was an amazing part of helping me become the first person in my family to ever attend college. I am now an attorney and leader in my community.”
“I was one of the low income students who benefited from Upward Bound. They changed my entire life, and likely saved it.”
“My grandson, now in a Master’s program at UMO benefited from this program and would probably not have gone to college if he had not been blessed with the opportunity.”
“I wouldn’t have graduated high school or started my life without it.”
“This program is the best thing that’s happened to me.”
“If I had not attended Upward Bound, I would not have even thought that college was an option for me. I am now a special education teacher working towards my Master’s degree.”
“Upward Bound changed my life. Period.”
“This program has made me a successful adult!!!”
“I became a homeless teen when I fled domestic abuse. Today, I am a middle class college graduate who works for a non-profit. It could only have happened with Upward Bound.”
“Upward bound has given me the tools I need to survive and to achieve my goals to complete college.”
“As a teacher I have had many students who have benefited greatly by attending Upward Bound, often being the first in their family to graduate from high school and / or college.”
“I am a proud Upward Bound product. Because of this program, I am who I am today, confident and driven. Without this program, I would not be the first generation in my family to have earned a BA, or MA. This program benefits many!!”
“In school we provide opportunities to learn and encouragement, but for some students in low income homes, it is not enough. These students can’t even imagine the future that a college education will provide. I personally have witnessed multiple Aroostook County students who have become productive members of society as a result of the Upward Bound program at UMPI.”
-Aroostook Teacher
“The UB program made a huge difference in my life. Setting me up for success in college, it was an invaluable resource and I don’t know if I would be where I am today without it.”
“This program is one of the reasons I am the man I am today.”
“My granddaughter is involved and it has been a godsend to her. Please keep it going.”
“Upward Bound is the only reason I had the money to apply to college.”
“UB is the reason I made it to college and am now a high school teacher!”
Sam Portera
Bangor
