Alumni

Hiram UB Students

"Upward Bound gave me so many new experiences I never thought I would be able to ever have in my life. Not only does it blend real world knowledge and pure fun, you also expand your connections with many careers, have passion for your future, and you will get to learn about your many possible options going forward. Upward Bound also offers additional educational help like tutors that I can still use being an alum. Going into college as a freshman, I had almost a full year of credits from the college classes that UB offered. I made many memories and I will be forever thankful to the Upward Bound team."

- Phillip Lounmala, Hiram High School 2018, Kennesaw State University

 

"Hi, my name is Magali Milian and I would love to say how grateful I am for Upward Bound. As a first generation student, I was honestly lost on how the college process works. UB led me to several useful resources, such as college fairs, that broadened my options. I am especially grateful for Ms. Christine and Coach Burns. They helped me get accepted to my dream school through working with me and my application. To this day, I use the many things they taught me to further my career. I followed their advice to seek opportunities, so I am currently gaining experience for my career as a veterinarian. I also got ahead in college because of the summer classes they offered. Addtionally, I got to travel to Missouri and D.C. that were filled with great enrichment trips. Thank you so very much to everyone that works with this amazing program."

- Magali Millian, Hiram High School 2018, University of West Georgia

 

"The Upward Bound Program is an incredible program that I was glad to be a part of when I attended Hiram High School. This program gave me countless opportunities to help me start my journey to becoming successful. I was introduced to many things I was not familiar with regarding financial aid, extra credit, and college experiences. There are many resources in this program that helped me get the grades I needed like the free tutoring help for my essays. Upward Bound gave me the opportunity to receive free college credits right before I entered my first semester at KSU. Because of this, I will be graduating with an Associates of Health Professions this May at the age of 19. I am so thankful for this program and everyone who has helped me along the way!"

- Sheena Patel, Hiram High School 2018, Georgia Highlands College

 

"Hello, my name is Jillian Rodriguez and I am an alumni of the Upward Bound Kennesaw program. I am honored to be part of the class of 2024 at Mercer University whose incoming class came in with more than 50% of the students having a 4.0 GPA. I am Cuban and Honduran speaking both English and Spanish. I am majoring in Biochemistry Molecular Biology with plans to attend Med School and become a Gastro Surgeon. Throughout my 3 years of being in the Upward Bound Program, I learned how to prepare and apply for college. During my senior year of High School, I had the opportunity to work with a college advisor. During this time with the advisor, I was able to work on college essays and expand my knowledge of different universities. I was also given the amazing opportunity to attend The National Academy of Future Physicians and Medical Scientists in Boston, Massachusetts. I was selected for this program that allowed me to view a live surgery and listen to Nobel prize-winning doctors. Upward Bound helped me settle all paperwork as well as receive a scholarship and pay any additional costs that were not covered through the scholarship. Overall, Upward Bound has helped me academically and financially but most importantly has given me memories that will last forever."

- Jillian Rodriguez, Hiram High School 2019, Mercer University

 

"My junior year in high school was when I was introduced to the Upward Bound program. In high school, I did not get the best grades and my GPA was extremely low. Upward Bound pushed me to be the best version of myself academically and in my community. The Upward Bound program has been such a huge blessing to me, and I will be forever thankful for how they’ve been with me through this tough journey."

- Jeremiah Boatman, Hiram High School 2018, Georgia Highlands College

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