College-readiness programs across New York State have received over $9 million in grants as announced by United States Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand. Vaughn College received more than $1,000,000 ($257,500 for five years) of this federal funding through the Department of Education’s Upward Bound program.

The College has run Upward Bound since 2003, a supplemental academic program aimed at preparing high school students for college life. The courses offered change every year and are designed to illustrate the importance of a college degree to students who may not receive that information at home. During the program, students have the opportunity to work with program staff to fill out and submit college applications.

“Some of our students have been able to pursue college and career goals through the program,“ said Christopher Griffith, assistant director of Upward Bound at Vaughn. “These students come from low-income families or are first generation college students, and the results we see over their courses are huge. We are grateful to be able to participate in this highly successful program.”

Upward Bound is funded by annual federal grants and was approved for a five-year renewal funding during initial implementation. The goal of Upward Bound is to increase secondary education completion and encourage students’ enrollment in and graduation from postsecondary education institutions. These programs provide academic instruction in mathematics, laboratory sciences, composition, literature and foreign languages, in addition to tutoring, counseling, mentoring, cultural enrichment and work-study opportunities. The funds at Vaughn support courses offered that range from bridge building to robotics and flight instruction. The College currently has a five-year partnership with Richmond Hill, Grover Cleveland and August Martin High Schools, which are all located in the Queens area.