Upward Bound
February Newsletter
Upward Bound Seniors
With only 4 months until our Seniors walk the stage to receive their high school diplomas, we are enjoying seeing what colleges/universities our seniors are being accepted to for this upcoming Fall.
This Spring semester we will focus on scholarships. Please encourage your seniors to check their e-mail on weekly minimum. Upward Bound staff is diligently working to search for scholarship opportunities for our seniors and will be e-mailing our senior students once a week with scholarship opportunities.
Scholarship Tips
- DON'T MISS DEADLINES. Stay organized by using a calendar to mark important dates. Remember that most scholarship requirements include sending letters of recommendation, transcripts, financial records, and other documents. Allow for enough time to be able to collect items requested.
- Read application instructions carefully. Tailor your application to the sponsor's goals.
- Personalize your essay and be passionate. Write about something of interest to you. Make your application stand out from the crowd. Talk about your impact on other people. Give examples and be specific.
- Google your name and make sure you have a professional online profile. Clean up the content of your Facebook/Twitter account, remove any inappropriate and immature post/pictures.
- Use a professional e-mail address such as firstname.lastname@gmail.com.
- Increase your chances of success by selecting people who can write you a solid letter of recommendation and provide specific details about your work ethic, drive, sense of responsibility, and other positive traits that would support your application.
- Have an Upward Bound advisor or school official proofread your essays for spelling and grammar errors.
- APPLY TO EVERY SCHOLARSHIP YOU ARE ELIGIBLE FOR.
Scholarship Opportunities & Resources
Senior Parents Checklist
Senior year is all about...DEADLINES. Wondering what your senior should be doing this month? Check out the checklist below provided by collegeparents.org
February
- It is time to file the FAFSA (www.fafsa.ed.gov), no later than March 1. The sooner you complete it, the sooner you will have an idea of your financial aid options.
- Scholarships, scholarships, scholarships! Please focus on scholarships many deadlines for scholarship take place in February and March. Your Upward Bound Advisor will be e-mailing students weekly scholarships on Mondays. Please have your seniors get into the habit of checking their e-mails at the minimum weekly.
- While most of your senior admissions applications will be complete and you are waiting to receive admission decisions, don’t allow them to slack in the classroom. The college that they attend will want to see their second semester transcript. No Senioritis!
Parent Resources
Important Upward Bound Dates
FEBRUARY 2016
February 6- Saturday Session/Parent University “College Basics” (1:00 PM-2:00 PM)
February 20- Saturday Session
February 27- TRIO Day @UTSA
MARCH 2016
March 5– Explore UT @University of Texas at Austin
March 14-20th- Spring Break-PAC Closed
March 25-27th Easter Holiday-PAC Closed
APRIL 2016
April 2– Saturday Session
April 6– College Fair @ Trinity University
April 16– Saturday Session
April 22- Battle of Flowers/PAC Closed
MAY 2016
May 7– Saturday Session
May 14- End-of-Year Ceremony/Summer Orientation
JUNE 2016
June 6- 1st Day of Bridge Program PAC 1st Summer Session Begins
June 6–July 8 Upward Bound Summer Program
July 11-14 College Road Trip
Parent University
Upward Bound Parent University is a series of 4 in-person workshops alongside monthly parent newsletter in order to engage and empower parents with the resources and tools to assist their future college students in the high school to college transition.
Parents will be awarded participation points for every Upward Bound Parent University workshop attended. Parents whom have participated in 90% or more of Upward Bound Parent University activities will receive an honorary certificate of completion. The parents whom have successfully completed the Parent University workshops may be eligible to receive a scholarship towards a Continuing Education (CE) course at Palo Alto College.
You may find more information regarding CE courses at the link provided:
Parent University Monthly Survey
TRiO Upward Bound
Website: alamo.edu/pac/upward-bound/
Location: 1400 West Villaret Boulevard, San Antonio, TX, United States
Phone: 210.486.3190
Facebook: facebook.com/UBatPAC
Upward Bound at Palo Alto College Contact Information:
Anna Villarreal, Sr. Coordinator
avillarreal423@alamo.edu, 210.486.3192
Raquel Blanco-Ayala, Administrative Specialist
rblanco-ayala@alamo.edu, 210.486.3190
Anna Lisa Fernandez, Sr. Advisor
afernandez52@alamo.edu, 210.486.3193
Nicholas Lopez, Sr. Advisor
nlopez72@alamo.edu, 210.486.3194