During the evening on Wednesday, May 13, LBCC’s Upward Bound Program held their annual graduation event for the senior students in their program.
The LBCC TRiO Upward Bound program helps students from local high schools such as Jordan and Cabrillo who are from low-income families and/or are first generation college students by providing resources, tutoring and community.
“It provides all the resources they need to get through high school and into college. It’s a really great program,” said Axel Gonzalez-Haro, one of the event’s organizers and a former student of the Upward Bound Program.
Wendy Porter-Coste, the director of the event, praised the sense of togetherness that the Upward Bound Program creates.
“If you ask any of my students, they’ll say Upward Bound is family,” Porter-Coste said.
The event was held in the courtyard of the P Building, and live music and catering were provided to those in attendance before the proper ceremony started.
Once the ceremony began, seniors received certificates from Congressman and former mayor of Long Beach, Robert Garcia, as well as stoles to wear at their graduation to represent their time with the program.
Porter-Coste shared heartfelt words about how proud she is of the students, and how all the help they’ve gotten has allowed them to dream bigger.
Furthermore, she expressed how the TRiO programs were under attack, and how the event was proof that they work.
In addition, select students gave their own speeches talking about what the program means to them.
One student in particular, Haley Vallecillo, spoke fondly of the sense of fellowship that the program gave her.
“For me, it means community and it gives me a place to be comfortable with everyone,” Vallecillo said.
All of the seniors present at the event have been accepted into colleges such as CSULB, LBCC, and Cal State Dominguez Hills and are on their way to achieving their career goals.
