update “Only the educated are free.” - Epictetus
March - May 2010
What’s Inside? From the staff Words of wisdom from UB
Senior Countdown Liftoff to college
News YOU can use It pays to connect ...
Blast From the Past Bounder Bear’s Alumni News
We’re Proud of You, Third Quarter Scholars! 4.000 and above Shue Shiane Y (Central) * Sabrina B (Logan) * Tammy X (Holmen) Tou Long V (Central) * Bobby L (Logan) * Tou Y (Holmen) Katelynn B (Sparta) * PaChoua L (Holmen) Ann V (Holmen) Fong V (Holmen) * Blair M (Sparta) * Jasmine A (Central) 3.750 to 3.999 Amy L (Logan) * Mai Khoua V (Holmen) Hai Va Y (Central) * Miranda A (Tomah) * Zakary J (Tomah) * MaLia T (Central) * Tria X (Logan) * Vang Y (Central) *
* Yer L (Holmen) Gao Seng Y (Logan) Zachary K (Sparta) Avon L (Logan)
3.500 to 3.749 Sou Thee H (Logan) * Avery VG (Central) * Van N (Logan) Tou V (Holmen) * Tong V (Central) * Fue Y (Holmen) Christina B (Sparta) * Mai Zoua V (Holmen) * Joseph V (Holmen) Michael B (Sparta) * Yer V (Logan) * Maurena T (Central)
Parents’ Page Parent involvement is KEY! . . . and much more!!!
Upward Bound serves students from several different schools with different grading systems UB figures all participants’ quarter grades using a four point weighted scale. The resulting UB grade point average is used for this honor roll. Only UB participants taking at least three college prep classes and active during all of the quarter are included here.
Family Potluck At UB’s annual end of year Family Potluck on Friday, May 7 at the Ho-Chunk Three Rivers House in La Crosse we honored continuing and graduating UB students and tutors for their hard work and success. Thanks to all the families who attended and to the Ho-Chunk Youth who provided us with delicious traditional corn soup and fry bread!
UB graduating seniors receive well deserved kudos at the Family Potluck, May 7, 2010.
BEN’S ROOMMATE RULES In fact, many college students choose NOT to live with their best friends so they won’t risk spoiling their relationships.
An Upward Bound Advisor has many responsibilities: meeting with students, answering their college questions, planning Saturday Events. But perhaps his most sacred duty comes around just once a year at about this time: assigning roommates for Summer UB!
Make like a tree and branch out. Pairing you with someone you don’t know isn’t Ben’s way of punishing you for turning in your summer paperwork late. Rather, it’s to give you the opportunity to meet someone new outside your usual circle of friends. Maybe that stranger you have to sleep next to will turn out to be your best UB bud! Even if you don’t become perfect pals, the experience of sharing space with someone builds character and confidence!
If you’re coming to Summer UB (like the other cool kids), you’re probably waiting in suspense to find out who you will be sharing a room with for six weeks this summer. Well, I’m here to tell you that Upward Bound’s dedicated team of mathematicians and behavioral psychologists is still working hard to come up with the perfect pairings. But no matter who you end up rooming with, here are a few thoughts to keep in mind. (Seniors: you can read this, too!)
Just because you’re roommates doesn’t mean you’re married. Hopefully, you and your roommate will get along swimmingly, but even if you don’t, it doesn’t have to ruin your summer. UB is so packed full of activity that you’ll probably only be alone with your roommate between lights out and wakeup call anyway!
Kick it off on the right foot. Like most things in life, your experience living with a roommate this summer will reflect the attitude YOU bring to it. If you show up on June 16th with a smile on your face and a positive vibe, things will probably go great! But if you’re ready to give your roommate the cold shoulder just to prove that you should have been paired up with someone else, well, it’s going to be a long summer.
Talk it out. Open communication is essential for a positive summer experience. If you and your roommate run into a problem you can’t resolve yourselves, remember that Ben, Paul, Antoiwana, and your wonderful residential tutors are all here to help. We’re all great at solving problems, but none of us can read minds (except maybe Antoiwana), so you’ll need to TELL US if you’re having roommate issues so we can lend a hand.
Best friends do not the perfect roommates make. Just because you’re BFFs in the classroom doesn’t mean things will stay that way when you’re sharing a bedroom. Even a rock solid friendship can backfire when two people are forced to live in close quarters.
Congratulations! Senior Book Stipend Recipients These UB seniors will receive one last UB stipend to use toward book expenses in October 2011. Kudos! Jasmine A - Outstanding Community Service
Tammy X - Outstanding Academic Achievement
Keng V - Jonathan Soo Seong Wright Upward Bound Participation Award
Tria X - Outstanding Academic Improvement
March - May 2010
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UB Update
had perfect attendance! Phan Y (Onalaska) was chosen 12th grade student of the month for March!
Amy L (Logan) had perfect attendance, earned a Highest Honor, was named Business Student of the Year and will be a speaker at her high school commencement ceremonies in June!
Kou X (Logan) won a Coulee Professional Women Scholarship and an American Association of University Women scholarship!
Ann V (Holmen) was named a member of the Spanish Honor Society and was on the Honor Roll.
Devin C (Logan) was Student of the Month! Ethan T (Logan) earned a medal and special recognition at the DECA competition at UWStout in January!
Lakysha R (Logan) was Student of the Month in September
Pang Jee Y (Central) was freshman student of the month in March!
Tria X (Logan) was recognized by Viterbo University at its 14th annual Volunteer Recognition Banquet in April.
Avery VG (Central) won a Vernon Electric Cooperative scholarship, a Central High National Honors Society scholarship and the Dr. Richard and Carol Fulwiler Blugold Promise Scholarship at UW-EC.
Christina B (Sparta) was awarded an American Association of University Women scholarship . . . AND TUTORS!
At Logan, Second Quarter Perfect Attendance: Devin C, Jason H, Amy L, Avon L, Bobby L, Ethan T, Van N, Gao Seng Y
Cindy Kocik received a Scott Carnes Memorial Scholarship from UW-L in May! Megan Kramp received the Lillian Neale Campbell Scholarship from UW-L in May!
Logan Third Quarter Honor Roll students include: Sabrina B, Devin C, Jason H, Sou H, Amos K, Amy L, Avon L, Bobby L, Nhia L, Van N, Kiswana R, Lakysha R, Erin T, Ethan T, Yer V, Kou X, Tria X, Gao Seng Y, Houa Y,
Erika Lefebvre received a Foundation Chairmen’s Leadership Scholarship from UW-L! Molly Prise received the Delta Kappa Gamma-Theta Chapter Scholarship, a Kristine A. Mason Scholarship and a Thomas J. Hill Memorial Scholarship from UW-L.
PaChoua L. is this year’s Prom Queen at Holmen High! Jasmine A (Central) received a
Janet Yearous received the Julie Zabolio Scholarship and a Kristine A. Mason Scholarship from UW-L.
Song V (Logan) is graphic arts student of the year!
Rourke Decker and Gaëlle Talhouarne were among eight UW-L students who shared their research with state legislators and leaders at the seventh annual “Posters in the Rotunda” event in Madison in May.
Linda H (Onalaska) won her school’s Extra Effort Award in April! Avon L (Logan) was Chinese student of the month, earned a Renaissance award letter and
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March - May 2010
Daisy P. (Tomah) - will attend Viterbo University Damon R. (Central) - will attend Western Technical College! Avery V.G. (Central) - will attend UW - Eau Claire! Jasmine A. (Central) - will attend Iowa State University!
Keng V. (Holmen) - will attend the UW-La Crosse ASI program!
Christina B. (Sparta) - will attend UW-Stevens Point!
Sai V. (Holmen) - will attend UW - Platteville! Tou V. (Holmen) - will attend UW-Madison!
Danella F. (Central) - will attend Western Technical College!
Song V. (Logan) - will attend the UW-La Crosse ASI program!
Katelyn G. (Sparta) - will attend Western Technical College!
Kou X. (Logan) - will attend UW-La Crosse!
Xang H. (Holmen) - will attend UW-La Crosse!
Tammy X. (Holmen) - will attend UW-La Crosse!
Amy L. (Logan) - will attend UW- La Crosse!
Tria X. (Logan) - will attend UW - La Crosse!
Avon L. (Logan) - will attend UW-Eau Claire!
Houa Y. (Logan) - will attend Western Technical College!
Antonio M. (Central) - will attend Western Technical College!
YOU CAN USE
Phan Y. (Onalaska) - will attend Winona State University!
will end in 2012 unless the president and Congress agree to add more money. A 5% interest rate, subsidized interest for students still in college and the possibility that loans can be forgiven for public service work makes it a popular and essential program for college affordability.
New Rules Expand Pell In March, new rules have expanded Pell Grant eligibility for thousands of college students. The Pell Grant is need-based federal financial aid money for college students that does not have to be repaid.
Right now, advocates hope to push back the 2012 date to give more time for negotiation. The Obama administration wants to stop subsidizing interest payments for students who are still in college. Aid advocates say such a proposal will hurt low-income students and make college less affordable.
More students are eligible for 2010-2011 grants, the amount of the grant has increased and students may now use the grants to pay for summer school. Perkins Faces Uncertain Future from The Chronicle of Higher Education, May 2010
College officials say extending the deadline will not save the program. Even if they continuing making loans from repayments, resources for new loans will dry up because of forgiven loans and loan defaults.
The Perkins subsidized loan program, created by Congress in 1958, helps low-income students borrow money at favorable interest rates. But the program
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UB Update
Summer Calling: Why UB Summer? It’s Required! UB Summer is a major part of our program so, unless you have major conflict (must spend summer with an out of town parent, for example) we expect that you will come to summer UB. It’s Good Practice! Experience life on a college campus before you actually enter college so you will feel familiar and comfortable with it ahead of time. It’s Important Preparation for Next Year! Get a head start on academic classes for next year. You’ll take the science and math class that you’ll take next year in high school, plus a reading and writing workshop and World Language classes - all taught by outstanding teachers from the area. Classes are small and students get individual attention.The writing skills learned during the summer will really be valuable later in college and career. You can earn credit! Earn one or part of one elective credit with successful completion of the summer program. You’ll travel! From close-to-home field trips to a multi-day Big City trip, UB is about introducing you to the wide world so you can see what opportunities are out there for you! You’ll GROW! * Learn critical thinking skills and effective study strategies by working closely with teachers and tutors. * Learn how to get along with new people and live in a college dorm setting. * Challenge your assumptions about yourself and your abilities in a supportive environment * Make new friends who share your goals and dreams
See you at Summer UB!
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March - May 2010
Get a Life and Look at the View excerpt from Villanova Commencement Address by Anna Quindlen. Read the whole thing at www.wowzone.com/view.htm
Get a life. A real life, not a manic pursuit of the next promotion, the bigger paycheck, the larger house. Do you think you'd care so very much about those things if you blew an aneurysm one afternoon, or found a lump in your breast? Get a life in which you notice the smell of salt water pushing itself on a breeze over Seaside Heights, a life in which you stop and watch how a red-tailed hawk circles over the water gap or the way a baby scowls with concentration when she tries to pick up a cheerio with her thumb and first finger.
Do we have your updated info? Please check your listing at www.uwlax.edu/UpBound/Bounder.htm and email any updates to us! Tou K Yang (Central ‘05) earned his Bachelor’s degree (sociology/computer science) from UW-L in May! He has already been hired as an IT specialist with a local company! Michelle Manzy (Logan ‘05) is spending spring semester studying in Mexico!
Get a life. Pick up the phone. Send an e-mail. Write a letter. Kiss your Mom. Hug your Dad. Get a life in which you are generous. Look around at the azaleas in the suburban neighborhood where you grew up; look at a full moon hanging silver in a black, black sky on a cold night. And realize that life is the best thing ever, and that you have no business taking it for granted.
Adam (Pocan) Sturdevant, PsyD (Logan ‘87 and California Southern University) is Director of Counseling and AODA Services at the Milwaukee Outreach Center! Ger Xiong (Onalaska ‘04) will graduate this spring from UW-L in business administration!
I learned to live many years ago. Something really, really bad happened to me, something that changed my life in ways that, if I had my druthers, it would never have been changed at all. And what I learned from it is what, today, seems to be the hardest lesson of all. I learned to love the journey, not the destination. I learned that it is not a dress rehearsal, and that today is the only guarantee you get. I learned to look at all the good in the world and to try to give some of it back because I believed in it completely and utterly. And I tried to do that, in part, by telling others what I had learned. By telling them this:
Sheng Vang (Central ‘03) graduated from UW-L in the fall! Nicole (Malinger) Lyddy (Tomah ‘88), a paralegal in Mauston, has been elected to the Camp Douglas Town Board! Several UB grads are now on the board of directors for La Crosse’s Hmong Mutual Assistance Association including Houa Vang (Logan ‘01), Dr. Bee Lo (Logan ‘87), Ge Vang (Logan ‘98), and Xong Xiong (Central ‘98), who has recently been named Interim Executive Director.
Consider the lilies of the field. Look at the fuzz on a baby's ear. Read in the backyard with the sun on your face. Learn to be happy. And think of life as a terminal illness because if you do you will live it with joy and passion, as it ought to be lived. Just keep your eyes and ears open, the classroom is everywhere. The exam comes at the very end. No man ever said on his deathbed, "I wish I had spent more time at the office."
Mai Ia Vue (Holmen ‘05) graduated in May from UW-La Crosse with a degree in art! Yer Lor (Logan ‘08) received a Rexford and Muriel Mitchell and Muriel Mitchell Carroll Scholarship from UW-L in May! We’re sure there are more grads to report - check back this fall!
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UB Update
S T N E R A P
Keep on learning over summer!
What happens over the summer when a student is not in school? On the plus side, many students get more exercise and more time to strengthen skills like creative problem solving. Some students may earn money over the summer or use their time to volunteer. On the other hand, students who do not maintain some level of academic activity over the summer may “lose” up to a year’s worth of ability!
How can parents help? Many UB parents know that the summer program is the best way to not only prevent “summer brain drain” but help students get a head start on next year’s subjects. If your student is not attending summer UB, you can still set up a summer of fun and learning for your student.
"One hundred years of research confirms that all young people are at risk of losing ground academically over the summer months." - Ron Fairchild, Executive Director of the Center for Summer Learning at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland.
The best thing to do is contact the teachers your student will have next year. Ask them what they can suggest - reading, practice, study - so your student can be better prepared in the fall. Here are some other general, suggestions:
Reading - Insist that your student read over the summer. Let her/him pick the books. When he finishes a book, have him tell you about it and rate it. Have him keep a summer book list. Some schools distribute suggested summer reading lists or you can check for lists online, like the College Board’s “101 Great Books Recommended for College Bound Readers” at www.collegeboard.com/student/plan/boost-your-skills/23628.html Math - What math class is your student taking next year? If the teacher hasn’t given you any ideas, try books or online resources. Most libraries have math books - have her check one out for the summer or buy a used one online. Online resources include National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (/www.nctm.org/resources/ content.aspx?id=9284) Foreign Language - Again, seek resources from teachers or the library including tapes and CDs. If you have access to high speed internet, have your student find an online radio station in the language he’s studying. Find a children’s novel in the language he’s studying and have him read it and study vocabulary over the summer. Taking 30 minutes a day to read, do math problems or study vocabulary can help your student be ready for fall. READ MORE - Put a plug in the summer brain drain by Andrea Schewe www.cnn.com/2006/EDUCATION/06/29/summer.learning.loss/index.html
Happy Birthdays! Michael B 6/2, Jacquyse R 6/5, Tammy X 6/6, Joseph V 6/7, Antonio M 6/10, Shue Shiane Y 6/22, Kaitlyn B 6/27, Avery VG 7/9, Fong V 7/19, Zakary J 7/22, Danella F 7/25, Kiswana R 7/29, Tou Y 7/29, Tou V 8/4, Amanda E 8/10, Katelyn G 8/23, Tria X 8/28, Keng V 8/30
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March - May 2010