Workshops and activities for parents and for high school students who would be the first college graduates in their families help make a clearer path to higher education.

The first impression of university life – like all first impressions – can be indelible. College Awareness Day at Loyola Marymount University, sponsored by Upward Bound, cemented a good first impression with about 120 high school students and their parents through a series of campus workshops and activities on March 14, 2009. Participant evaluations indicate that the day was a success on every level.

The one-day conference was targeted at high school students from low-income families who would be the first in their families to attend college or to earn a degree. “Having parents come up to you at the end of the day with a look of gratitude … that was priceless,” said Norma Romero, director of Upward Bound at LMU. 

The parents’ three workshops focused on the admission process, financing higher education and the emotional aspects of sending a child off to college. The students’ sessions covered life on a university campus, career options, SAT preparation and study skills, among other topics. “Today’s presentation provided an excellent opportunity for parents and students to know how to prepare for college,” one parent wrote at the end of the day.

Upward Bound at LMU offers high school students academic advising, tutoring, college visits, help with college and financial aid application processes, social activities, and an on-campus summer school experience. To take part, qualified students sign a contract promising that they will meet the requirements of the program.

Upward Bound is funded by the U.S. Department of Education. College Awareness Day had additional support from the Jesuit Network for Equitable Excellence in Higher Education. For more information about the program, visit www.lmu.edu/ub.