The Lumberjack



Students Serving The Cal Poly Humboldt Campus and Community Since 1929

Tag: high school

  • TRiO Upward Bound program awarded a $1.3 million grant by the U.S. Department of Education

    TRiO Upward Bound program awarded a $1.3 million grant by the U.S. Department of Education

    TRiO is a federally funded outreach and student services program aimed to provide services for students with a disadvantaged background.

    Upward Bound is one of eight national programs within TRiO. The program is designed for first-generation college students who exhibit the potential and interest to strive in college. As members of this program, students benefit from resources such as financial aid assistance and academic counseling.

    Upward Bound has been serving the Humboldt and Trinity school districts since 1965. Within these counties, the program is affiliated with six local high schools: Hoopa Valley, Arcata, South Fork, Southern Trinity, Hayfork, and Trinity.

    Arcata High senior, Tatyanna Keeling said Upward Bound has been particularly helpful with financial aid counseling, as well as deadline reminders and reinforcement.

    This year, Upward Bound received a five-year $1.25 million extension grant. Each five-year renewal, new advancements are developed into the program to ensure quality improvement, as well as operational funding.

    With the funding, Upward Bound began their new summer “Bridge Year” program. This feature strives to provide participating high school seniors with an immersive college experience.

    Upward Bound Director at HSU, Jen Dyke said the summer is the best time to get students committed to following through with their college plans and there is no better way than to allow participants to become “real college students.”

    For the duration of the five-week summer program, students live in the Cypress Residence Hall and get a head start on college courses, all provided by TRiO.

    For the remainder of the school year, students have access to college and career counseling, as well as academic and financial tutoring. The program also organizes and engages students in local social and cultural events, as well as college campus touring.

    Shayna McCullough, a 21-year-old senior majoring in Social Work is an alum from Upward Bound. She said Upward Bound instilled pride in her. As a first-generation student, she has found a lot of emotional support and inspiration in fellow colleagues who also participate in Upward Bound.

    Upward Bound is just one of the three TRiO programs at HSU. Other federal-funded programs, including Talent Search and Student Support Services, which all aim to ease the transition of disadvantaged students from high school to college.

  • High school friendships can change and that’s okay

    High school friendships can change and that’s okay

    By Ashley Groze

    It seems when I was in high school I never did find my place. Of course I had tons of “friends” whom I would see on campus or at games that I would say hey to. But the group of friends that I mainly kicked it with during break and lunch were friends that I’ve known since grade school. We will always have a bond, but the bond is there because of the years we’ve spent together. I have friends that I’ve met in college that I feel like I’ve known my whole life.

    Over break, I reflected whom I still remain close to and whom I’ve drifted from. It seems that many people don’t find their place until after high school. There are many different places the high school friends veer toward:

    • The One Who Ghosted but Instantly Reconnects in Person
    • The One Who’s Always There for You
    • The One You Didn’t Want to Bump into but You Have an Unfortunately Small Hometown
    • The One Who Drastically Changed
    • The One Who Still Thinks We’re in High School
    • The One Who Peaked in High School
    • The One Who Went to Harvard
    • The One Who’s Now a Stoner
    • The One that Has Two Kids
    • The One Who’s Already Landed Five Internships
    • The One You Realize Was Never Actually Your Friend

    There are friends that remain in touch through social media, but the relationship never extends past a like or a share. The main point is, reconnecting with high school friends is usually bittersweet because either you change, they change or you both do.

    Sometimes this change is good. Sometimes you both matured and you share stories for inspiration. In other situations, this change creates tension and pushes you apart. The friendship slowly drifts because you just don’t talk as much and you’re not in each other’s lives anymore.

    Although we had four weeks off this break, I chose to spend only 10 days of it at home.

    I realized when I’m home, I’m not happy. Humboldt is where my life is at. Guiltily but truthfully, I’m admitting that I simply don’t feel as close to certain people from back home anymore. There are places I’d rather be exploring and other college friends whom I want to spend time with.

    Though it’s depressing, drifting is natural. When you make memories with new people, it becomes apparent how desolate the memories of your old friendships are, especially when my college friends were there for me during my struggles while high school friends weren’t. I learned to depend on my newer friends for support.

    We need friends to be stable and accessible. The bitterest realization I ever made was when I thought to myself, “You weren’t there for me when I needed you and I got through it. So I don’t need you.”

    If I saw some of my high school friends today, it just wouldn’t be the same. One of the most hopeless feelings in the world is chasing after something when it’s already gone.

    With that in mind, what will never change is the impact these people had on me. To many, high school would be considered our formative years, and the people who surrounded me in high school influenced and shaped me into the respectable person I am today. The friends I made in high school will always be a part of me. Wherever we go out into the world, I know that in a way we’re always going to be connected.