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Breaking out with Upward Bound

Story and photos by Matthew Bin Han Ong, Comm '12

"Let's recap what we learned last week," said Upward Bound tutor Natanael Ramos, as he scribbled complex math formulas on a whiteboard in Raynor Memorial Libraries on a recent summer night.

The teenagers peppered Ramos with questions, eager for help. They were part of the more than 200 high school students who participate in Marquette's Upward Bound program, which offers supplementary high school courses ranging from digital photography to advanced calculus and operates out of Marquette's Educational Opportunity Program.

Upward Bound helps low-income, first-generation students become college graduates. Since the program started in the 1970s at Marquette, it has reached more than 1,000 high school students from Milwaukee.

"Upward Bound triples our students' chances of enrolling and succeeding in higher education," says T Ullrich, the director of the Educational Opportunity Program's Pre-college Division. "Ninety-five percent graduate from high school and more than two-thirds enroll in a college or university of their first choice."

The program runs year-round and provides Marquette students with the opportunity to share their experiences and knowledge with younger teens.

"We look for caring, nonjudgmental college role models to help our students make good choices," Ullrich says.

Ramos, a junior civil engineering student, was selected as program assistant because of his good grades, bubbly demeanor and his ability to connect with his students.

"It's great to see students break out of their comfort zone," he says. "They trust me, and I love them." Ramos has grown from the experience, too. "I used to be shy, but my students taught me to be confident and assertive as a mentor," he says.

Ramos knows where they are coming from — he is also the first in his family to attend college.

"My parents sacrificed a lot to get us to school," Ramos says. "I wouldn't be here without them."

Ramos says he sees tutoring as a way to give back. Marquette gave him hope, and he wants to relay that same sense of purpose to his students.

After graduation, Ramos hopes to work as an architect. And he has another goal.

"I'm gonna build Mom and Dad the house they've always wanted," he says.