The UB Scholar’s Digest WELCOME!

• To all of our new students VOLUME 2, ISSUE 1 WINTER 2008 who were accepted into the program! • To friends and Forty Years of Upward Bound parents of our NMH Upward Bound Schol- 1967—2007 ars!

• To the gener- ous donors The Upward Bound program at Northfield Mount Hermon School marks its th who help 40 anniversary this year, and in commemorating this milestone we have much to celebrate. The make our program has helped prepare hundreds of high school students – young people who might not program otherwise have had the opportunity – for success in college and beyond. For students from low- successful! income families, Upward Bound’s staff and funds help to navigate the confusing and expensive waters of the college application process; for first-generation college-bound students, attending

classes at NMH’s summer academy may be “solutions” to poverty—namely, policing and the first time they feel like a college student. incarceration. In 2003, joined a But while Upward Bound’s history growing number of states whose prison budget and current mission provide inspiring exam- surpasses their budget for higher education. ples of success, we ought not ignore troubling Budgets are a zero-sum game: when our gov- questions that the program’s 40th anniversary ernment funnels money into a giant, back-end INSIDE suggests: Why, after 40 years, do we still need solution to social problems, this money has to THIS ISSUE: this program? Why do enormous gaps in op- come from somewhere else. As opportunities portunity and access to higher education, for quality secondary schooling and affordable UB Students 2 along class and racial lines, still exist? What higher education for our young citizens are in the News! has not changed about our underlying institu- removed or diminished, we are de facto creat- Director’s 3 tional priorities and policies? What needs to ing pathways to other institutions. Eighteen- to Notes change? 24-year-old male high-school dropouts are 31 Upward Bound was created over 40 times more likely to end up in prison than Senior Spot- 4 years ago, along with an array of other simi- males who graduate from a four-year college; light! larly inspired, federally funded programs, as black males in that same category are 60 times part of Lyndon Johnson’s “War on Poverty.” more likely. Applying to 5 Coming on the heels of the Civil Rights move- The choice facing our teens is not an College ment, the legislation creating Upward Bound easy one. Children from low-income commu- Meet your 6 was a response to the growing realization that nities are disadvantaged from the start and new UB staff! poor students, minority students, and students need a host of interventions to help them keep whose parents did not attend college were up with their peers from wealthier school sys- Class Notes 7 attending and completing college at much tems. By the time students get help from Up- lower rates than their peers. Expanding educa- ward Bound in high school—and the few who tional opportunity—through government pro- do are among the lucky ones—they may al- Contact Info 8 grams such as Upward Bound—was envi- ready be years behind. Add to this disparity in sioned as an essential part of the solution to early schooling and preparation a litany of poverty. other obstacles—for example, increased col- However, the gaps we face today lege costs and competition, intricate standard- may be wider than the ones the Johnson ad- ized tests and application processes, and a lack ministration sought to close forty years ago. of support and models at home and in the State spending trends in the last quarter- community—and the necessity of a program century seem to favor other kinds of (Continued on page 3)

PAGE 2

UB Students in the News

Teddy Dunbar rose to the rank of Eagle Evelina Federyuk and Tatiana (Tanya) Scout on Nov. 12th with the successful com- Olaru were inducted into the Grreenfield pletion of his community service project. High School National Honors Society in Teddy—managing a crew of about 15 volun- November. At Turner Falls High School, teers—installed a sun shelter in Unity Park in three of the nine Honors Society inductees Turners Falls. The shelter provides relief were also UB students: senior Brittany Ma- from the sun for park goers, lowering tem- zor, and juniors Amy Baxter and Theodore peratures by up to 10 degrees and preventing (Teddy) Dunbar. exposure to UV rays. * * * Frank Martinez ‘08 instructs Teddy organized a number of fund-raising fellow student Ebony Simmons efforts to help acquire materials for the pro- Frank Martinez and Jennifer Espinosa, ‘09 in a salsa workshop at Up- ward Bound’s summer academy. ject, and worked, along with the volunteers certified Salsa instructors and current Holy- he recruited, for over 100 combined hours. oke High seniors, will lead a Salsa work- Teddy is the first Boy Scout in the history of shop at Northfield Mount Hermon’s Latino his Montague Elks Lodge sponsored Troop Conference (March 1st-2nd). A number of to make Eagle, the Scouts’ highest honor. other UB seniors are to attend the event, INTERNSHIPS which will feature performing artist and The following students * * * activist Aya de Leon, and speakers Alma have received local in- Martinez and Jorge Zeballos. ternships towards devel- This October, Kibbs Fortilus won an essay opment in a potential contest for the city of Springfield. The con- * * * career field: test, called “The City Thinks: Hotel Rwanda, Nelson Barbosa at Lessons Yet to be Learned,” asked students Despite having been diving for only three Margo Jones Architects to respond to the following questions: months, Cory Rodriguez is quickly making (Greenfield), Evelina “Consider the U.S.’ response to the geno- headlines. Cory travels to Harvard to compete Federyuk at CVS phar- cides in Rwanda and Darfur. What patterns in regionals this February, and is closing in on macy (Greenfield). do you see with the U.S.’s outreach to help Springfield Science & Technology school the “other”? What lessons learned in Rwanda records. should be applied to Darfur? What is our responsibility to help now in Darfur and to In wrestling, Jorge Cruz-Morales and Kibbs prevent further genocides from occurring?” Fortilus are competing in regional finals for their respective weight classes. As a winner of the contest, Kibbs read his essay at The City Thinks kick-off event on * * * October 7. He also attended a private dinner with Presidential Medal of Freedom Winner INTERNSHIPS Paul Rusesabagina—who was responsible for

saving thousands of lives during the Rwan- The following students have received local in- dan genocide—on October 18th. Copies of ternships towards development in a potential Cory Rodriguez ‘08 Kibbs’ essay were made available to all audi- career field: enters a successful ence members at Rusesabagina’s October dive. 18th lecture, and he was publicly recognized Nelson Barbosa at Margo Jones Architects at the event and in the press. (Greenfield), Evelina Federyuk at CVS phar-

macy (Greenfield). * * *

THE UB SCHOLAR’S DIGEST

VOLUME 2, ISSUE 1 PAGE 3

Forty years of UB (cont.)

like Upward Bound becomes painfully obvi- tinue to do a better job funding their public ous. education systems, we risk compromising our In spite of the clear need to “level the global competitiveness, not to mention other playing field,” lest we face class divisions not correlates of a highly-educated populace, such seen for decades (and ones we are already as good health and higher civic engagement. approaching), the Bush administration has We are in an exciting political time repeatedly attempted to eliminate Upward right now, a time in which there is opportunity Bound and other similar programs. Advocates for great change, and in which we could also in Congress and in communities across the fall back quickly into old patterns of thinking. country have succeeded in reinstating funding, Educational opportunity needs to be a long- but, as always, the future of the program and term investment and national priority; it needs the depth of our commitment to public educa- to be at the center of our discussions about the tion remain uncertain. As other countries con- economy, and especially at the center of our discussions about crime and “public safety.” During its 40 years of operation, Upward Bound has accomplished enormous gains, On March 8th, 2008, Northfield Mount helping open doors for many young people Hermon Upward Bound will celebrate with great potential but limited means. On this forty-plus years of helping low-income anniversary, we look forward to continuing to and first generation youth go to college. help young people access higher education If you are interested in attending the with the hope that our leaders will address the deeper inequities that still make Upward dinner and reception, please email GLi- Bound so necessary. ■ [email protected]!

Notes from the Director

Greetings from snowy Northfield! We are excited that our seniors have completed hundreds of college applications and are putting the final touches on financial aid applications. Our fall has been busy and wonderful as we welcome three new staff members and our AmeriCorps member. We are in the thick of recruiting new students, helping our students explore college and career options, planning our spring cur- riculum around the theme of immigra- tion, recruiting summer staff, and plan- ning our 40th anniversary celebration on that vision. Please send us your news and let us know if March 8th at Alumni Hall. you’d like to attend our celebration. We hope to bring We hope all our alumni, friends, back lots of folks from the past twenty years and en- and supporters continue to recognize the gage more friends and supporters in our important mis- importance of educational access for all sion. and work in small and big ways towards —Gisele Litalien, Director

VOLUME 2, ISSUE 1 PAGE 4 SENIOR SPOTLIGHT

TANYA SANTANA

What has UB meant to you? The best part…is when you’re all done! And actually finding schools that you do It’s meant a lot. It’s given me the opportunity to like. learn about the whole college process. I’ve gotten to know a whole diverse group of people. What is your favorite part of UB? If it wasn’t for Upward Bound, I wouldn’t know half of the things I know how to do now. It The summer. That’s where you really get to taught me how to get out of my comfort zone, know everyone, and learn how to write all and I know that’s going help me a lot in life. the papers. It’s where you learn what you need for the coming year, so you’re one step What excites you most about college? ahead of everyone else.

It means I’m growing up! And finally being Any advice to next years Seniors? able to do what I want to do in school. In col- lege you get to start all over again. Start early! The sooner you start the college What were the best and worst parts of the process, the faster you’re done. New stu- What are you thinking about studying, and college process? dents: Don’t slack in school. Try as hard as why? you can, because you’ll be regretting it I’ll do the worst first: when you have to admit later! Social work and/or sociology….I want to be a some of the things that you don’t want to ad- social worker, to provide social services and mit…like if your grades aren’t where you want Anything else you want to add? bring families back together. them to be, even if you always played it off as if it were fine…The paperwork also gets tedious. Shout-outs to all my dudes! Y’all know who you be! Wallace all day…

YOGESH MALIK Greenfield High School

What has UB meant to you? me think about a lot of things that I don’t nor-

mally think about. I don’t have the words to describe exactly what

UB is to me. UB has opened my mind to diver- What is your favorite part of UB? sity, and to accept people that are not exactly like me. I have learned from UB that it’s okay My favorite part of UB is that everyone can to be different. That’s a huge question, Adam. live like a family even though we all are ex- That’s worse than my college application es- tremely different from one another…that eve- says! ryone is willing to accept those differences,

and accept each other. What excites you most about college?

Any advice to next years Seniors? It’s a totally new beginning where I can forget the past, take the good with me, and start a Listen to your advisors. When they ask you to whole new life. It is a step towards my success. have things done by a deadline, make sure you

have those things done. Timing is one of the What are you thinking about studying, and most important things. Be prepared for every- why? thing. EVERYTHING. What were the best and worst parts of the

I want to study International Relations, Interna- college process? Anything else you want to add? tional Economics, International Business… something that involves the whole globe. I want The worst part was the college applications, to That’s a big question, too! How about my to end up having a job in the United Nations, be honest. But it was also the best part, because quote: “When life becomes a sword, let your and perhaps be an ambassador for a large com- even though they were long and tedious, the smile be the shield.” pany, or even for the United States. I want to application essays made me realize many of the improve the world. strengths and weaknesses I carry. They made

VOLUME 2, ISSUE 1 PAGE 5

So You Want to Apply for College?

Get your thinking caps straight, your writing gloves tour. Take a test. Take another application. Fall tight, your form-filling fingers steady. Sit up asleep. Wake up, your advisor’s yelling something! straight. Leave all procrastination at the Fall asleep again. You dream you’re buried in en- door...tomorrow. Take hour after hour of SATs, velopes. You wake up. You have to mail that enve- then do it again. Smile like a maniac. Write an es- lope! You lick the stamp. You click the button. say. Yell at your computer for losing your essay. You raise your fist. Write your essay again. Go to the doctor and get You collapse. treated for arthritis. Fill out more blanks and bub- bles. Beg for that last recommendation. Take a You’ve just finished applying to college.

WHERE OUR SENIORS ARE APPLYING

A big part of Upward Bound’s mission is to guide stu- Middlebury College dents through the college application process. Since Mitchell College* the summer, 18 Upward Bound seniors have applied to Mount Holyoke College a total of 58 different colleges, with each senior apply- New England College** ing to between 5 and 10 schools. Here is a list of those North Carolina Wesleyan College schools—with each early acceptance marked by an Northeastern University asterisk! Providence College Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Rochester Institute of Technology Babson College Saint Anselm College Bates College Salem State*** Bentley College Seton Hall University* Boston College Skidmore College Boston University Smith College Brandeis College* Springfield Technical Community College Bridgewater State College Temple University* Clark University Texas A&M Colby Sawyer College* Texas Tech University* Colgate University UMass-Amherst College of the Holy Cross UMass-Dartmouth***** Colorado College University of New Hampshire Connecticut College University of Notre Dame Eckerd College University of Texas-Austin Elms College* Vermont Technical College* Emerson College Wellesley College Fitchburg State College* Wentworth Institute of Technology* Fordham University West Virginia University* Framingham State College* Westfield State College*** Franklin & Marshall College Wheaton College Greenfield Community College Wheelock College* Holyoke Community College Widener College Johnson & Wales University Worcester Polytechnic Institute Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts** Worcester State College Mercyhurst College

* for each UB early acceptance (as of 2/15/08)

VOLUME 2, ISSUE 1 PAGE 6 Meet Your New UB Staff! SHARON GRALNICK MARI JAMES Springfield Advisor Holyoke Advisor

Born in: Long Island, New York dents leave me each year and not Born in: Magdalena del Mar, What’s your favorite thing about Live (currently) in: Brattleboro, having the ability to work with them Lima-Perú working at UB so far? Vermont to get closer to fulfilling their dreams Live (currently) in: Athol, MA Receiving college acceptance letters Favorite Music: Reggae and – especially those with limited access Favorite Music: The Beatles, An- from our students Dancehall Reggae – my favorite to opportunities and because I be- dean Folk music, Vivaldi What has been the biggest sur- singer is Buju Banton but I also lieve in education rather than the Favorite color: aqua, chocolate prise? Learning to drive the mini- have an eternal love for Bob Marley other options the youth of our coun- brown bus. and Peter Tosh. try face today - incarcera- Favorite book: El Tú- What’s something you Favorite Book: I don’t tion or the military. nel, Ernesto Sabato; La look forward to about have one – but I can tell What’s your favorite Casa de Bernarda Alba, UB summer? Chasing you that I just read thing about working at 20 Poemas de Amor y students that don’t want “Brother I’m Dying” by UB so far? una Canción Desespera- to go to Study Hall. Edwidge Danticat who I That all the other staff da If you were a kind of love and I’m currently loves food too. Favorite Quote: food, what would you reading “Mountains What’s something you “You have a wonderful be and why? Chocolate, Beyond Mountains.” look forward to about child. Then when he’s it makes most people Favorite Quote: UB summer? Getting to 13, gremlins carry him happy. “There can be no peace know students from Holy- away and leave in his An office supply item? without equal rights and oke and Franklin County. place a stranger who gives you not Post it notes, good for memory loss. justice” -Peter Tosh If you were a kind of food, what a moment’s peace. You have to Superhero? Mafalda, she looks Random fact about me: Although would you be and why? hang in there, because three or four like me. She was my favorite car- I am physically in Vermont and Quinoa because it is nutty, full of years later, the gremlins will return toon character growing up because Massachusetts, my spirit and soul life, and goes with anything. your child, and he will be wonder- she was able to speak up and ex- live in the Caribbean. Superhero? Maurice Bishop - the ful again.” -Jill Eikenberry press her views in a socially and Why did you come to work at man who fought for true independ- politically oppressed society. UB? I was tired of seeing my stu- ence in Grenada.

PATRICIA CORRIGAN ADAM ROBERTS Office Manager AmeriCorps Member

Born in: , NY working at UB so far? My co- Born in: Providence, RI wanted to find a way to continue Live in: Gill, MA workers. Live (currently) in: Greenfield, working with UB’s awesome stu- Favorite Music: Classical What has been the biggest sur- MA dents during the year. I care a lot Favorite Color: Yellow prise? How much I enjoy working Favorite Music: contemporary about Upward Bound’s mission. Favorite Book: Just one?! Too here. classical, electronic, rock/ What’s your favorite thing about hard. “Howard’s End” by E.M. What’s something you look for- folk...anything weird working at UB so far? Forster; “What’s Bred ward to about UB sum- and/or absorbing 1. A-ha! moments in the Bone” by mer? So far I have only Favorite Color: blue when working on col- Robertson Davies and met the seniors and then Favorite Book: Autobi- lege essays: when, sud- many more. only once. They were all ography of Red, by denly, things just click Favorite Quote: fabulous, so I’m looking Anne Carson for a student. “Only connect” from forward to being able to Favorite subject in 2. Epic mini-bus field “Howard’s End” by meet the rest of the kids high school: English trips. E.M. Forster. and put faces to names. Random fact about What has been the Random fact about If you were a kind of me: I am a born-again biggest surprise? me: I really do hate to food, what would you be book-lover. Getting to put together fly. and why? Ice cream be- Why did you come to work at this newsletter! Why did you come to work at cause it is my favorite vice. UB? What’s your favorite thing about UB? Because I heard it was a phe- An office supply item? A post-it I had worked with UB for two sum- UB summer? nomenal program and I wanted to note because I stick to people with mer academies, and knew it was an The sense of community, from stu- do something different that I con- little questions and reminders. incredible program. I thought dents on up to staff. sidered worthwhile. Superhero? Rhonda Winegarner. briefly about teaching elsewhere, If you were a superhero, who What’s your favorite thing about but when it came down to it, I would you be? Patricia Corrigan!

VOLUME 2, ISSUE 1 PAGE 7

Class Notes: a place for quick updates on the whereabouts and goings-on of NMH Upward Bound alumni, former staff, and former faculty. If you’d like to be included, e-mail your note to [email protected] with the words “Class Notes” in the title. We can’t wait to hear from you!

Keesha White ‘98, UB grad update and former UB ad- From Shakuntala Ramtahal ‘04: viser, recently got her MSW at Washington University and “Happy 2008 to all of the UB staff. Everything is going has moved back to New York. She writes, “I am now great for me. I am graduating this May with a bachelor's in working at the Department of Health in East Harlem as the Social Work and Psychology. I am also in the process of Asthma Outreach Coordinator. I also have songs for sale applying to graduate school. I am applying to Boston Col- on itunes, tk rose is my stage name and that is the name lege, Smith College, UConn and Springfield College for a that would be typed into the search box to find my songs. I masters in social work, specifically with a focus on inter- have been doing a lot of singing and I have been extremely national/global social work. Much Love, God Bless!” blessed. Again, I am so glad to hear from you. Please send me updates. I received the newsletter once and it was great From Wil Perez ‘04: to see what was going on with the students.” “I am finishing off my senior year at and have been accepted early to the Warren Alpert School of Medicine at Brown University. My major is Public Health From Maggie McCauliffe ‘01: with a minor in Hispanic Studies and a focus in Infectious “Since 2006 I have been working at a small life settlement Disease in Developing Countries. I've recently been offered company, Integrity Settlement Provider. I am in a manage- several opportunities to work with some of the world's larg- rial position here, and am about 70% of the way towards est and most established health and human rights organiza- earning my MBA. I am also getting married this October, tions, so I may be postponing medical school for up to a so it is a very busy year!! Both Juan (Avendano, 2001) year….Some of my biggest offers include the Clinton Foun- and Jose Bahamonde (2001) are engineers, and doing very dation in Mali, the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS well for themselves.” Relief (PEPFAR) in Kenya, Keep a Child Alive in Rwanda, Project Hope in rural Haiti and Partners In Health in Portau-

prince Haiti working with my hero Paul Farmer. I've nar- From Brian Lawson ‘04: rowed down my choices to the ones in Haiti because it has “I'm currently working for the website PolitickerNH, always been my dream to work there….I'm very excited which covers all aspects of politics in the Granite State. about it all.” During the months leading up to the New Hampshire pri- mary I ran a website called New Hampshire Presidential Watch. Below is a list of media interviews because of the Alex Morse ’07 received one of only four state-wide website: Dan Rather, C-SPAN, NHPR, NPR, XM Radio, MEOA scholarships, a highly competitive scholarship CN 8, WGME-13, The New York Observer, NECN, The awarded to students from low-income or first-generation- Union Leader, France 24 (France's version of CNN), college-going backgrounds. Alex is currently a first-year Spiegel TV (German TV), The Dartmouth, The Hippo and student at Brown University. In his acceptance speech for Dallas Morning News. Also a group of students from the scholarship, Alex thanked Upward Bound for putting American University followed me on the trail for a day him in a position to succeed. UB students take heed—it's and is doing a documentary about me.” good to apply for everything you can!

Phone: 413-498-3416 Upward Bound Fax: 413-498-3415 Northfield Mount Hermon School E-mail: [email protected] One Lamplighter Way Website: Mount Hermon, Ma. 01354 www.nmhschool.org/upwardbound

Happy Fortieth, UB!

Northfield Mount Hermon Upward Bound, Summer 2007

The mission of the Upward Bound Program at Northfield Mount Hermon School is to generate in low-income and first generation college potential students, the skills and motivation to be successful in high school and in college.