SSC Upward Bound Program

Message from the Director, Wendy Porter-Coste

Over the years, I have seen and experienced and learned a great deal. I have seen countless students succeed...and I have seen other students fail. I have seen students take advantage of the opportunities given to them...and I have seen students reject every helping hand extended. I have seen students transform from teens into adults...I have seen them fall in love...feel crushed after a break-up...have a child...even get married. I have seen students graduate from high school and go on to college...and I have seen students drop out...I have seen students enter the world of work without a college degree. I have seen students climb mountains and reach the summit...and I have seen students trapped in the valley of their fears unable to muster the courage to reach for their dreams.

I have seen pride and joy in a parents eyes as they watched their child receive their high school diploma on graduation day...and I have seen pain and despair in a parents eyes when their child refuses to live up to their potential. I have seen the weariness on a parents face as they tell the story of how they left their homeland to come to Lawrence to work two and three jobs so their child can receive a quality education...and I have seen students surpass even their parents' expectations...and I have seen students break their parents' hearts.

I have seen teachers overjoyed when a student shows an earnest interest in learning and completes their work with care...and I have seen teachers frustrated and disappointed when a student resigns themselves to mediocrity and complacency...getting by (or so they think) with C's and D's...never able to find the self-respect and courage that would compel them to want better. With all that I have seen...I have experienced myriad emotions and feelings...joy and sadness...pride and disappointment...satisfaction and frustration...fulfillment and heartache...hope and despair...laughter and tears...victory and defeat...

And in experiencing the highs and lows, the ups and downs, the uphill climbs and the downhill slides of our Upward Bound students...I have learned many lessons...to be patient...to be fair...to be compassionate...to be forgiving...to be open-minded...to be grateful (for even the smallest victory)...to have courage...to maintain a sense of humor...to keep all things in proper perspective...and always...to have faith. I have never...and will never...stop believing in our Upward Bound students...each one is unique and precious and capable of reaching their highest potential.

I am grateful to work with staff that is completely committed to meeting the daily challenges ...and I am appreciative of the continued cooperation of parents, educators and community-based youth agencies that share the same vision for our youth. Together, one student at a time...we are making a difference. As our Upward Bound students continue to enter, persist and graduate from post-secondary institutions...the legacy being left to our impoverished city where only 9% of all adults hold a college degree...is one of HOPE. Our program alumni have and will continue to change their lives...and the lives of future generations.

"We are all what we are, in large degree, because of others who have helped, coached, taught, counseled, who set a standard by example, who've taken an interest in our interests, opened doors, opened our minds, helped us see, who gave encouragement when we needed it, who reprimanded or prodded when we needed it, and at critical moments, inspired."

David McCullough