Upward Bound Students Honored for Outstanding Achievements

CONTACT: DAVID PRESSLEY, EXT. 2351

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 8/4/2000
(By Lisa Garrett)

PENDLETON --- The Upward Bound program provides educational opportunities, promotes maturity and consequently changes the lives of the high school students who participate, two alumni of Tri-County Technical College's federally funded program told a group of students and parents at an annual awards banquet.

C. Douglas Johnson, a professor of human resources at Winthrop University, and Felicia Speed, a social worker at the Anderson Dialysis Clinic, were alumni guest speakers at the 20th annual banquet honoring students participating in the College's Upward Bound program.

Upward Bound is designed to help high school students bridge the gap between secondary school and college and to provide them with financial and academic resources to prepare for postsecondary education.

The Upward Bound project, sponsored by Tri-County, serves 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th graders from Anderson, Oconee and Pickens counties. It targets those who are potential college students and gives them information and assistance concerning the college opportunities available to them.

"I've been where you are," said Johnson, who, 20 years ago, was a member of one of the first Upward Bound classes at Tri-County. "I remember the program and how it impacted my life," he added.

"Upward Bound allowed me to focus on what I could do with my life," he added.

Upward Bound was a transformation for me," said Speed. "I was timid and had a low self-esteem. I was a caterpillar, and Upward Bound was my cocoon," she said.

"I never knew I needed more than grades to go to college. Upward Bound prepared me for the college world," said Speed, a 1994 honor graduate of T. L. Hanna High School. She earned a bachelor's in Social Work in three-and-one-half years from Winthrop University where she was a member of Delta Sigma Theta. She also holds a master's degree in Social Work from the University of Georgia.

"The program also taught me how to look within to find out who I am. I realized that I can't depend on others to define me. I urge you to be an individual," said Speed.

Students must meet the U.S. Department of Education economic guidelines and/or be potential first-generation college students (neither parent has a bachelor's degree) to qualify for admission to the program.

Johnson, who qualified for Upward Bound because of his economic circumstances, said, "The 'disadvantaged label' turned out to be a positive because the program better prepared me to make the right decisions.

"Growing up, my life was filled with obstacles," said Johnson, whose mother died of breast cancer when he was young. (He was raised by his maternal grandmother.) "I tried to view those obstacles as challenges and to be successful."

He advised the students to be resilient. "I recall the hard times, but I look deep inside and get self-confidence as I did in Upward Bound," said Johnson, a 1983 graduate of Wren High School who matriculated at Clemson University as a James F. Byrnes Scholar. While at Clemson he was a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. and served as vice president of the Student Government. He graduated from Clemson in 1987 with a B.S. in Accounting.

He also encouraged the Upward Bound participants to be thankful. "Be sure to thank those who impacted your life in a positive way. Let them know they made a difference," said Johnson, who visited his first grade teacher recently. "She made me feel special and that made a difference. She encouraged me to strive academically. "

Following graduation, Johnson worked as an internal auditor and later was a senior project accountant until he decided to pursue an M.B.A. at the University of Connecticut (UCONN). In 1991 he selected as one of the National Black M.B.A. Association Scholarship recipients and named the outstanding male M.B.A. at UCONN. He joined the human resource management program at General Electric and later worked as a consultant with PeopleSoft. Currently he is a doctoral candidate at the University of Georgia. He is an active consultant with Irwin and Browning in Atlanta and IBM. He was named a 1999 Herbert Zimmer Research scholar at UGA, and a condensed version of his master's thesis won the 1999 Academy of Management Career Division -- Fast Company Best Applied Paper Award.

"Never give up on your dreams," said Speed. "Live for today. We must each take time to listen, learn and live. In each of these lies the foundation for success. Focus and take notes to pass the test of life. Take in what you need to and dispose of the rest. Positive thoughts are food for the soul. Learn for inspiration. Read about others to learn about yourself," said Speed, who served as a counselor/tutor for Upward Bound this summer. "The biggest room in the world is the room for improvement."

Upward Bound provides academic programs (primarily on Saturdays) throughout the academic year, along with a summer program. A six-week residential summer component offering college prep classes is offered, and students are provided room and board at Clemson University. Upward Bound provides intensive instruction in skills, such as reading, public speaking, writing, math, laboratory science, and foreign language, along with academic guidance, career and personal counseling.

TRIO programs consist of Upward Bound, Educational Talent Search, and Student Support Services and are now offered at more than 1,000 colleges and universities and at 100 community agencies.

The following students from tri-county high schools were honored for their outstanding achievements:

Outstanding Achievement in English (Summer 1998) -Jamie Baum, of Seneca, and Shareeka Robinson, of Belton.

Outstanding Achievement in Spanish (Summer 1998) -Anastasia Brownlee, of Belton, and Rodney Mattison, of Belton.

Outstanding Achievement in Mathematics (Summer 1998) -Amanda Hodge, of Seneca, and Brandon Alexander, of Anderson.

Outstanding Achievement in Science (Summer 1998) -Amanda Hodge and Marlon Glover, of Belton.

Most Improvement in English (Summer 1998) -Kashia Webb, of Pickens, and Anastasia Brownlee, of Belton.

Most Improvement in Spanish (Summer 1998) – Cassell Gray, of Anderson, and Desiree Goldsmith, of Westminster.

Most Improvement in Mathematics (Summer 1998) - Marlon Glover and Shareeka Robinson.

Most Improvement in Science (Summer 1998) -Melanie Baker, of Anderson, and Valtrece Rutledge, of Williamston.

Outstanding Academic Achiever Upward Bound Bridge Component Awards (students taking University Transfer and College Prep classes) - Stephanie Cobb, Decha Dawson, Jennifer Johnson, Kimberly Johnson, Stephanie Johnson, Amanda Sullivan and Shannon Spear, all of Pendleton; and Shateka Grove, of Anderson.

Upward Bound Academic Excellence Awards (GPA 3.5 or above): Sierra Shuler, of Williamston; Sarah Poole, Jamie Baum, Amanda Hodge, Jerecia Hall, and Kellie Sluder, all of Seneca; Ryan Breazeale, of Pickens; Shateka Grove, of Starr; Stephanie Cobb, Decia Dawson, Jennifer Johnson, Kimberly Johnson, and Shannon Spear, all of Pendleton; and Zenkeya Owens, of Anderson.

Upward Bound Academic Excellence Awards (GPA 3.0 or above): Latasha Hunt, of Williamston; Chris Smith of Easley; Sherrica Hill, of Liberty; Lena Means, of Williamston; Marlon Glover, of Belton; Cassell Gray, of Anderson; Victor Hill, of Anderson; and Amanda Sullivan, of Pendleton.

Upward Bound Student Government Association officers for 1999 -2000 were:, Shannon Spear, president; Decia Dawson, vice president; Gail Gideon, of Seneca, secretary; and Lakeisha Gambrell, of Seneca, treasurer.
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