TRIO Upward Bound. November-December 2017 Volume XXVIII, Issue #3 wp.stolaf.edu/upward/

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1 SLC members enjoyed an afternoon of rock climbing at Base Camp at the SLC retreat. Get ready! This year s Holiday party theme is Pajama Party! ST. OLAF COLLEGE TRIO Upward Bound Messenger November-December 2017 Volume XXVIII, Issue #3 wp.stolaf.edu/upward/ UB mentors took a break from bowling at Goldy s Gameroom to pose for a quick photo! Gkao Xiong and her mentor, Kaelie Lund, coordinated their costumes for the mentor event! Mentor Devin Culhane had the chance to catch up with his mentee, Lay Chri Htoo. IN THIS ISSUE: MENTOR SPOTLIGHT page FAMOUS TRIO ALUMNI AND THIER COLLEGE MAJORS..... page. 3 SLC RETREAT page UB CALENDAR page page 3 UPCOMING BIRTHDAYS GRADUATE UPDATE page UPCOMING EVENTS page SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES page 5 Fall Mentor Event By: Nou Yang This year s fall mentor event was held at Goldy s Gameroom on the University of Minnesota campus. Everyone had a blast! We had a great turn out, with close to 100 students and mentors attending the event! Mentors and mentees enjoyed playing pool, bowling, board games and catching up with one another. This year, the students and mentors were invited to wear Halloween costumes, and despite the low number of participants, the costumes looked great! With the variety of activities that Goldy s offered, mentors and mentees had fierce competitions in pool, foosball, and bowling. Many mentors and mentees also took advantage of board games such as Catch Phrase, Candyland, and Jenga. We took a quick break for lunch, then students and mentors went back for more bowling and pool. Everyone had so much fun and the time flew by. Before everyone departed, mentors and mentees completed an evaluation of the event. We received great feedback and will definitely consider hosting the event at Goldy s again next year! Thanks to everyone for making this mentor event such a success. The next mentor event is the SLC Holiday Party on Saturday, January 6 th, at Humboldt High School, so mark your calendars!

2 Mentor Spotlight: Houa Lor By: Nou Yang This month s mentor spotlight is Houa Lor! Houa is a mentor to Central sophomore, Chameng Yang. Houa was born in the Thailand Ban Vinai refugee camp. His family came to Minnesota in 1994 and he is the only son of six children. After high school, Houa attended Augsburg University and graduated with a sociology degree in While at Augsburg, Houa says he was blessed with many wonderful opportunities and experiences. During his freshman year, he co-founded a martial arts club and held practice twice a week for club members. In his sophomore year, Houa was a Residential Advisor (RA) for a first-year dorm and mentored many freshmen students. Houa also held leadership positions including Vice President of the Augsburg Asian Student Association and President of Student Government in his junior year. In addition, Houa studied abroad in four different countries while in college. Houa Lor is an employment specialist at Project Pride in Living, inc. Currently, Houa is an employment specialist at Project for Pride in Living, inc. He oversees two employment training programs for public sector jobs. He truly enjoys his job because he gets to mentor adults who have lost their job or want to make a career change. Houa s position has allowed him to develop long term relationships with people who have completed the training program and successfully earned and retained their jobs for more than 12 months. When I asked Houa why he wanted to mentor for Upward Bound, he shared, I failed my freshmen year of high school and was told by a counselor that I would not graduate from high school, go to college, or be someone. I could have easily dropped out of high school, but I am thankful that that counselor gave me some motivation, and other mentors helped me to stay focus on my goals. At every stage of my life, I have had a mentor to guide me. That is why I truly believe in the Upward Bound mentorship program. Other interests of Houa include home realty and fitness. Houa is also a realtor and enjoys educating homebuyers about the process of homeownership and helping people buy their dream home. He also likes to stay on top of his health and fitness as much as possible. Lastly, Houa would like to share the following advice to UB students: Take your academics seriously, but don t forget to have fun. Upward Bound would like to thank Houa for being such a great mentor and being featured in this month s Mentor Spotlight! Famous TRIO Alumni and Their College Majors These TRIO alumni graduated from college prior to achieving amazing things. Can you guess what their college majors were? (Answers on page 5). 1.Viola Davis Academy Award Winning Actress, Upward Bound and Student Support Services Alumna 5. Gwen Moore US Congresswoman, Student Support Services Alumna 2. Franklin Chang-Diaz First Latino Astronaut, Student Support Services Alumnus 6. Patrick Ewing Coach, Olympian and Professional Basketball Player, Upward Bound Alumnus 3. Donna Brazile Political Strategist, Interim Chairperson of the Democratic National Committee, Upward Bound Alumna 4. John Quinones Correspondent for ABC News, Upward Bound Alumnus A. Georgetown University, B.A., Fine Arts B. Louisiana State University, B.A., Industrial Psychology C. Marquette University, B.A, Political Science D. Rhode Island College, B.A., Theater, Juilliard School of Performing Arts, Certificate in Acting E. St. Mary s University, B.A in Speech Communication; Columbia University, M.A. in Journalism F. University of Connecticut, B.S. Mechanical Engineering; Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Doctor of Science in Applied Plasma Physics ST. OLAF COLLEGE TRIO UPWARD BOUND MESSENGER Page 2

3 Student Leadership Council Retreat By: Zookong Lee On Friday November 17 th, 2017, the Student Leadership Council (SLC) held its annual retreat. SLC met at Central and Humboldt, then proceeded to Base Camp, a large indoor facility that offers a number of unique activities for youth, including team building and leadership training. This year, SLC focused on team building through a variety of activities offered at the facility. SLC started the day with introductions and then quickly moved to the archery range. Only a few students had used a bow and arrow before, so this was a new activity for most of our SLC members. Next, SLC moved on to the box, a team building game in which they had to work together to get everyone standing on the box, without anyone touching the ground. To make things even more challenging, the box got smaller and smaller after each successful round. Once they completed the box, the Base Camp staff led SLC through a few more team-building games, each with a focus on leadership and communication. After debriefing from the morning portion of the retreat, SLC members had the opportunity to rock climb on the indoor rock wall. This was not only an exercise in strength and endurance, but also helped build trust between SLC members, who had to rely on clear communication with the students who were helping to spot them below. Overall, the SLC retreat was very fun and successful! All enjoyed the fun activities and were able to work together to finish each challenge that was thrown their way. We would like to thank the Base Camp staff for having us and planning a great retreat for SLC! The Student Leadership Council worked together to problem solve on The Box. Upward Bound Calendar Humboldt senior, Aye Aye Thin, was right on target at the archery range! Humboldt junior, Joquan Williams, conquered the rock wall at Base Camp! Upcoming Birthdays! Isaiah Thao - January 10 John Bongabong- January 12 Mai Yer Moua- January 17 Elvis Jimenez- January 24 Lilah Xiong- January 31 ST. OLAF COLLEGE TRIO UPWARD BOUND MESSENGER Page 3

4 Graduate Update: Kyaw Kyaw Htwe By: Thay Thao This month s graduate update features Kyaw Kyaw Htwe from the Upward Bound class of 2016! After graduating from Humboldt High School, Kyaw Kyaw enrolled at St. John s University, where he will graduate in Upward Bound was thrilled to hear back from Kyaw Kyaw, and we hope you enjoy reading all about him! Kyaw Kyaw has been very busy at St. John s University. He has joined numerous clubs on campus, including Asian club, soccer club, and Philippine American Kasamahan. In his free time, Kyaw Kyaw also takes part in choir and piano classes. Participating in these clubs has given Kyaw Kyaw a chance to travel across the country and learn more about different cultures. Recently, Kyaw Kyaw attended the Midwest Asian American Student Union (MAASU) conference in Michigan, where he met students from universities and colleges all across the United States. He explained that it was one of his favorite experiences in college so far, as he was able to connect and learn from so many people. Kyaw Kyaw at Humboldt graduation with his UB mentor, Dom. When I asked Kyaw Kyaw to reflect back on his favorite memory of Upward Bound, he shared, My favorite memory has to be our college visits. When we visited colleges, our PSE class got close and we started building better relationships. We pretty much became family. Visiting colleges also gave me better understanding of where I wanted to go and study for the next four years. Kyaw Kyaw also mentioned that UB helped him tremendously with getting into college, Upward Bound helped me a lot with making my decision to continue my education and with my college and scholarship applications. Without Upward Bound, I would not be in the position I am in today. The UB Summer Bridge program was also very helpful. I had taken college classes in school before, but they were not the same as my Bridge class. We had an awesome professor and took the class on campus at St. Olaf. This was really important to me because I wanted my own college experience to be similar to the small campus feel I had then. I also asked Kyaw Kyaw what he thought of college so far. He said, Before I came to college I was really scared. I did not think I was capable of learning and competing with others for a college education. However, my first day of college was amazing. I got to meet a lot of nice people and my professors learned my name. Everyone was just so welcoming, which made it easier for me to fit in. College is definitely hard, but there are a lot of resources that can help you along the way. We are glad to hear that Kyaw Kyaw is utilizing his resources on campus and is enjoying himself in college. Kyaw Kyaw also had some advice to share with current UB students, UB does take a lot of commitment, but it is so worth it in the end. Although Upward Bound may take up half of your summer, they are only there to help you and being able to live on a college campus will help in the long run. While you might not end up going to St. Olaf, the summer college experience will help you with what type of college you want to live at for the next four years. That was really big for me because I did not want to go to a place that I didn t feel was a good fit for me. UB is extremely proud of everything Kyaw Kyaw has accomplished in college so far and cannot wait to see him graduate in 2020! SLC HOLIDAY PARTY/MENTOR EVENT Saturday, January 6, :30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Humboldt High School Required for all sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Congratulations to Central senior, Malee Yang, for being awarded the St. Paul Optimist Club Scholarship! Malee was recognized for her achievements at an awards dinner at the Town and Country Club on November 9 th! UPCOMING EVENTS MLK JR. DAY OF SERVICE (SLC) Monday, January 15, :15 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Open Arms MN Required for all SLC members. STUDY SKILLS SEMINAR/PLANNING FOR COLLEGE Friday, January 26, :00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. Central High School Required for all new students and sophomores. ST. OLAF COLLEGE TRIO UPWARD BOUND MESSENGER Page 4

5 ANSWERS FROM PAGE 2: Scholarship Opportunities Scholarship Name/ Amount Requirements Website Deadline Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund $2,500 (1 time to multi-year $20,000 awards) Be of Asian and/or Pacific Islander ethnicity, US citizen or permanent resident, enrolling in Fall 2018, minimum GPA of 2.7, complete FAFSA, and submit one letter of recommendation. scholarship_apiasf.html 5pm Dells Scholar Program: $20,000 For seniors graduation from an accredited high school, US citizen, participant of a Michael & Susan Dell Foundation approved college readiness program (UB) in grades 11 and 12, minimum GPA of 2.4, demonstrate financial need, and plans to attend an accredited 4-year college or university right after high school /15/2018 Jackie Robinson Foundation: Up to $28,000/Four Years For minority high school senior showing leadership potential and demonstrating financial need, an ACT Score of 21 or above and plans to attend an accredited 4-year college or university of their choice. /apply/applicants/ 02/15/2018 MnACC Scholarship $500-$2,500 (one time) Identify as a student of color and enroll full-time for school year at a MnACC member institution. Submit official HS transcript and one letter of recommendation if applying for President s Award. 3/10/18 Page Education Foundation: $1,000- $2,000 per year For students of color and graduate of a MN high school, be enrolled in an accredited post-secondary educational institution in Minnesota, be enrolled as a full-time student and maintain full-time credits throughout the academic year to remain eligible, and be willing to complete a minimum of 50 volunteer hours of service to children per year. Page-ed.org/scholarapplicants/apply-now/ 05/01/2018 Wallin Education Partners Scholarship: $16,000 ($4,000 per year for four years) For seniors graduating from a St. Paul Public Schools high school. Must have a 3.0 GPA on an unweighted 4.0 scale and an ACT score of 19 or above. Must attend a 4-year college or university, public or private in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, North or South Dakota, OR a Historically Black College or University (HBCU), financial need (taxable income of $75,000 or below and moderate assets). app.wallinpartners.org 02/01/ Viola Davis D. Rhode Island College, B.A., Theater, Juilliard School of Performing Arts, Certificate in Acting 2. Franklin Chang-Diaz F. University of Connecticut, B.S. Mechanical Engineering; Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Doctor of Science in Applied Plasma Physics 3. Donna Brazile B. Louisiana State University, B.A., Industrial Psychology 4. John Quinones E. St. Mary s University, B.A in Speech Communication; Columbia University, M.A. in Journalism 5. Gwen Moore - C. Marquette University, B.A, Political Science 6. Patrick Ewing A. Georgetown University, B.A., Fine Arts ST. OLAF COLLEGE TRIO UPWARD BOUND MESSENGER Page 5

6 St. Olaf College TRIO Upward Bound is an Educational Opportunity Program sponsored by St. Olaf College and funded by the United States Department of Education. St. Olaf College TRIO Upward Bound is an equal opportunity employer and educator. St. Olaf TRIO Upward Bound participates in the Summer Food Service Program for Children. In accordance with Federal Law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 In dependence Avenue, S.W., Stop 9410, Washington, DC , or call toll-free at (866) (English) or (800) (TDD) or (866) (English Federal-relay) or (800) (Spanish Federal-relay)USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. TRIO PROGRAMS/UPWARD BOUND ST. OLAF COLLEGE 1520 ST. OLAF AVENUE NORTHFIELD, MN (507) FAX: (507) (800) WP.STOLAF.EDU/UPWARD ST. OLAF COLLEGE TRIO UPWARD BOUND MESSENGER St. Olaf College TRIO Upward Bound Messenger est Program Staff Mari Avaloz, Director Kim Hildahl, Academic Coordinator Zookong Lee, Academic Advisor Thay Thao, Academic Advisor Nou Yang, Academic Advisor Newsletter Staff Kim Hildahl, Layout and Design The St. Olaf College TRIO Upward Bound Messenger is published monthly September-May, except for combined editions in August/ September, November/December, and April/May. Editors reserve the right to add, change or delete articles for spacing and clarity. All inquiries should be addressed to Mari Tototzintle, Director of St. Olaf Upward Bound, St. Olaf College, 1520 St. Olaf ST. OLAF COLLEGE TRIO UPWARD BOUND MESSENGER Page 6