Newspapers / Winston-Salem State University Student … / March 1, 1983, edition 1 / Page 8
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WSSU Student Climbs To Success ‘Upward Bound Was Key’ By Sam Davis Making the transition from high school to college is normally a difficult task for 17 and 18 year olds. Fortunately for Delores Rene’ Johnson, Upward Bound was there to bridge the gap. Ms. Johnson, a sophomore at WSSU, participated in the Upward Bound program for 3'/i years. She spent her last summer (1981) in Upward Bound as part of the “Bridge Program.” The “Bridge Program” allows Upward Bound students who will be entering college in the fail, to take college courses prior to matriculation. It gives the students an op portunity to continue to sharpen their skills, while earning college credits. As a result, Upward Bound students have an advantage on most of their classmates. Upon entering WSSU, Delores was already familiar with the campus and also knew what college instructors expected of their students. “As a freshman I was more aware of things than my classmates,” Delores said, “I think I had a better outlook on college life.” She decided that she would attend WSSU during her junior year in high school. “WSSU was the only school she ever considered,” said Upward Bound Director Mrs. Addie Hymes. “She spent a lot of her time each summer researching the school, fin ding out about things she could take advantage of.” Delores has become a very independent person since entering Upward Bound in 1978. “I was very shy before I entered the program. I was afraid of going away from home and also the challenge that I faced when I learned of my acceptance to the pro gram. I told my mother that I didn’t want to leave home for the summer.” “My mother told me that I should at least give Upward Bound a try,” she stated. “My mother never had the opportunity to attend college and really wanted me to. I reluctantly came to the campus with a negative attitude but after a while I started to enjoy the academic experience. I also enjoyed the independence that goes along with being away from home. I liked the idea of being responsible for my own actions. It caused me to mature very quickly.'’ Wants To Attend WSSIJ “Looking back on my experiences, I feel like I stumbled into the stairway to suc cess,” she said. “Before I entered the program I was on a flat surface. I stumbled across the first step and was forced to make a choice of whether I wanted to take the first step or stay at the same level.” She added, "1 also had the opportunity to do some ot the things that I had never been able to do. In that sense. Upward Bound opened my eyes to the world. While in the pro gram, I went to see a play on Broadway, attended the Grand Ole Opry and visited the Martin Luther King Center for Social Change in Atlanta.” The independence that Delores experienced during that first summer in Upward Bound remains a part of her. While being a full-time college student, she currently manages to work a total of 29 hours a week. “I don’t want to be a burden on my family, while I’m in school,” she said. “If I set my priorities and retain them, I can be self- supporting throughout my academic years. Delores is pursuing a degree in business administration with a concentration in in formation systems. After she completes the requirements for her undergraduate degree, Delores would like to attend graduate school. Eventually, she would like to work for a major corporation as a computer analyst. “I want to be successful in the business world and also make a contribution to socie ty,” she said. “A lot of people have helped me along and I would like to help someone else in return. I was given a chance to improve myself and I am grateful for tha^ I would like to be involved in helping others improve themselves.” “Without Upward Bound, I don’t know what my options would have been coming out of high school,” Delores readily admits. “I had not thought about being able to attend college before I came into the program.” Although there are a lot of rewards to be reaped from participation m the Upward Bound program, a lot of determination and discipline have to be shown by students. “You have to be a special kind of person to make it through the program,” Delores said. “There are a lot of sacrifices that have to be made. If you put the time and effort into it. Upward Bound can really help you in setting goals and reaching them.” Judging from her accomplishment up to this point, Delores seems to be getting closer to the top of that stairway. Upwards Bound Student Excels By Sam Davis “Jonathan Napper stands out among all other Upward Bound students both academically and socially,” says Mrs. Adie Hymes. She has seen a lot of students enter the program during her 8 years at the WSSU program. A junior at West Forsyth Senior High School, Jonathan is currently one of the top students in his class. Sporting a 3.8 grade-point average, he is contemplating pursuing a career in medicine. He has been an honor roll student for the past three semesters With over a year left to go in High School, Jonathan has already made several im portant decisions about his future. Though his academic prowess would enable him to attend most any college in the country, his mind’s set on the school he wants to attend. “I will do my undergraduate study at WSSU,” Jonathan stated. “I plan to major in medical technology, a field that is really beginning to open up. Upon the completion of my undergraduate work, I would like to pursue medicine further at Bowman Gray School of Medicine.” An articulate and well-poised young man, Jonathan’s future looks very bright. Such was not the case up to his ninth grade year. “I was a ‘C’ student before I got into Up ward Bound,” he stated. “If I made a ‘C’ in a course, I was satisfied. If I didn’t then I would try to bring that grade up to a ‘C’.” Accepting mediocr-e grades made Jonathan comfortable in his approach to academics. He spent most of his time after school playing basketball. “I thought I could study later on in life,” he said. “At that point I didn’t have any goals other than to be a star basketball player.” A series of events that occurred in the spring of 1981 set Jonathan on a course that would completely rearrange his priorities and alter his orientation and academics. “People around school were talking about a program that offered high school students an opportunity to live on campus of WSSU during the summer,” he stated. “I didn’t know the name of the program or anything about it, so I went to my guidance to get more information. After talking with his guidance counselor, he completed the application. “By that time I began to realize that Upward Bound was a very serious program. Some of the students already in the program told me that it was hard work but that I could better myself if I worked at it.” “Jonathan found out that the program could help him perform better academical ly,” says Mrs. Hymes. “We saw a change in his attitude and performance after one summer in the program. Normally we don’t see a noticeable change until after the se cond summer,” she stated. The academic success Jonathan enjoyed during his first summer in the program caused him to rearrange his priorities. “When Jonathan went back to his regular school in the fall, he made a decision that he needed to devote more time to academics,” Mrs. Hymes stated. “He was an excellent basketball player who pro bably would have been able to receive a scholarship to attend college.” When basketball season came, Jonathan decided to forego the season to continue brushing up on his academic skills. “That’s what makes him stand above the crowd,” Mrs. Hymes said. “Most young men his age would not have made a decision to stop doing something they enjoyed and were very good at to prepare themselves for the future.” Initially, Jonathan’s interest in doing well in the Upward Bound program was based on the rewards offered as incentives for students in the program to do well. Later, he began to realize that preparing himself for college should be the focus of his study. “Upward Bound really changed my perception of the world,” he said. “I realize now that you have to prepare yourself as early and as best possible for college. That’s why I spend so much time studyin’g and striving for excellent grades.” Although Jonathan puts a lot of time and energy into studying, he remains a well- rounded individual. “I still have lots of fun,” he said. “My friends don’t think of me as a bookworm. We get together and go out from time to time. For instance, I might go to a basketball game with the fellas and act a little wild. But, when the game is over, I come home and study as opposed to going to bed or staying up and watching TV.” ^tvoB Argu0 of Winston-Salem State University Columbia Scholastic Press Association Medalist Published monthly by the students of Winston-Salem State University, Winston-Salem, N.C. 27110. 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Winston-Salem State University Student Newspaper
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March 1, 1983, edition 1
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