NMC Upward Bound helps another student succeed in college

  The Northern Marianas College’s Upward Bound program has helped another student from the CNMI succeed in college. For 2007 Upward Bound alumnus Angelica A. Co, the program enabled her to jumpstart her college career.

“Upward Bound gave me the opportunity to take several college courses while I was still in high school,” said Co. This experience not only allowed Co to gain some college experience while attending NMC; it also enabled her to complete her “general education requirements for college.”

The Upward Bound program is a federally funded program under the U.S. Department of Education that primarily serves high school students from low-income families along with high school students from families in which neither parent holds a bachelor’s degree. The goal of this program is to prepare participants to enter, enroll and graduate from institutions of post secondary education.

“Upward Bound also had many resources, such as tutors and counselors, and computer labs, that guided and helped me to become a more efficient student,” said Co, who recently graduated with a bachelor’s of science degree in Biology from Brigham Young University in Hawaii.

In addition to tutoring, counseling, and providing a place for academic study, the program has also been providing other services including financial counseling and assistance with applying to colleges. The program also facilitates a variety of enrichment activities, such as summer programs for mathematics and science, volunteering and educational field trips.

Co added “Being surrounded by people in Upward Bound, who want you to succeed, is an uplifting environment that pushed me to do more than I thought I could. Thank you Upward Bound!”

Co is currently working at a drug development research company in Honolulu. Her future plans include pursuing a master’s degree in Physician Assistance “after getting more experience in the health and research field.”

“We are glad to hear that Angelica is doing very well,” said Upward Bound program director Marian C. Tudela. “We would also like to congratulate her for graduating from BYU and we want to wish her the best as she pursues her dreams of becoming a physician’s assistant.”

For more information about the Upward Bound program, visit the Upward Bound office at the NMC As Terlaje campus or contact Marian C. Tudela at 234-5498 Ext. 1278. (NMC)