YAKIMA, Wash. – Yakima Valley College announced that its Upward Bound and Student Support Services (SSS) programs will continue this academic year due to more than $900,000 in grants from the Department of Education.
Isaias Guerrero, director of the Upward Bound program, emphasized the importance of these funds for the Yakima Valley community. Guerrero stated that the programs support more than 300 students, helping them not only attend college but also thrive.
“It’s about serving the students and making sure that we increase college attendance, academic excellence and college graduation,” said Guerrero.
The Upward Bound and Student Support Services programs guide students through the college experience. This includes applying to universities, understanding financial aid and staying on track toward a degree. Guerrero highlighted the need for such programs in Yakima Valley.
“There is a large population of students in the valley that are first generation, meaning their parents don’t have a bachelor’s degree and low income,” said Guerrero. “Our students don’t always know how to apply for schools, how to apply for college is what the financial aid process looks like and everything that goes with becoming a college student and being successful while they’re at school.”
The programs work closely together, with Upward Bound supporting students through high school and Student Support Services taking over at the college level.
“We hand off to Student Support Services once students graduate from high school and SSS can pick them up at the college level and support them through college,” said Guerrero. “That’s why both the programs together work so well because we get to check in with our students and be a lot more one on one with our students.”
As a first-generation student himself, Guerrero understands the challenges these students face.
“There was a lot of things that I didn’t know going into school and I didn’t know who to talk to,” said Guerrero. “Programs like Upward Bound and Student Support Services really bridge that for students and can provide a lot more clarity and support and make sure that they’re going to be successful and not leave the college campus more confused than they came.”
The success of these programs is evident. Guerrero noted that 69% of Upward Bound enrollees attend college, compared to 50% in their service areas. Student Support Service participants have a 90% retention rate at college, opposed to 75% for non-participants.
