On September 10th, Northern Vermont University’s Lyndon Upward Bound program brought high school senior Agnieska LaFleur to tour Vermont Technical College in Randolph, VT. The visit began with a thirty minute admission’s information session led by an admission’s counselor. Following this Aggie, accompanied by an Upward Bound staff member, got a private and individualized tour of the campus. The tour of the campus highlighted the school’s academic and athletic facilities, dining hall, private orchard, social spaces, and the stunning mountain views around campus. Vermont Technical College prides itself on being student centered, so the tour also highlighted some of the many pieces of campus that have been student designed – such as an experimental rubber shingling on the roof of an academic building.

On Friday, October 8th three Northern Vermont University – Lyndon Upward Bound students utilized their day off from school to continue their college and career search by attending a campus-wide tour and admissions presentation of Saint Michael’s College in Colchester, VT! Lauren, Vicki, and Maddy left from the North East Kingdom early on Friday morning, and arrived to Saint Michael’s College shortly before 10am. The day began with a short admissions presentation which gave the students an overview of the college, the application process, admissions requirements, popular majors, academic resources on campus and student life. The presentation was engaging, energetic and informational, and set a positive tone for the rest of the event!

On Friday, October 8th four Northern Vermont University – Lyndon Upward Bound students took the chance to visit and tour Middlebury College in Middlebury, VT. Chelsea, Gemma, Thomas, and Abby all met up on the NVU-Lyndon campus on Friday morning where, before they set off on their journey to Middlebury, they were able to speak to an Upward Bound and Middlebury College alumna, Rebecca Doucet, over the phone. They asked her brief questions and she gave them advice about what they should look for and consider during their visit. With good luck wishes from Rebecca, the students headed off on their journey!

On Monday, October 11th four Northern Vermont University – Lyndon Upward Bound students chose to spend their day off from school taking part in an Open House at Castleton University. Felicity, Gemma, Victoria, and Ben all met up on the NVU-Lyndon campus on Monday morning where. They were joined by Upward Bound and Castleton alumna Lauren Holt who was excited to share her experience, offer the student’s advice, and answer any and all of their questions about Castleton and college in general.

On Monday, November 8th, eight Northern Vermont University – Lyndon Upward Bound students attended Sophomore Summit. Hosted annually by the University of Vermont’s Admissions team, Sophomore Summit is a workshop event which is meant to engage college-bound, high school students in conversations about their academic future. This is an important event for moderate-income and first-generation students who may have had limited access to college campuses in the past and who know little about the college admissions and financial aid process.

On Friday, October 8th four Northern Vermont University – Lyndon Upward Bound students took the chance to visit and tour Middlebury College in Middlebury, VT. Chelsea, Gemma, Thomas, and Abby all met up on the NVU-Lyndon campus on Friday morning where, before they set off on their journey to Middlebury, they were able to speak to an Upward Bound and Middlebury College alumna, Rebecca Doucet, over the phone. They asked her brief questions and she gave them advice about what they should look for and consider during their visit. With good luck wishes from Rebecca, the students headed off on their journey!

Danielle Hume has been chosen as the 2021 Vermont Educational Opportunities Programs (VEOP) Achiever! She will represent Lyndon Upward Bound at the annual 2021 VEOP conference on January 7th which will be held virtually for the second year in a row. The VEOP Achiever Award is given each autumn to an educational opportunity program participant who has successfully completed postsecondary study and has received recognition for academic achievement, is a person of high stature within their profession, and has made significant civic, community, or professional contributions. Danielle earned this award through her hard work, grit, determination, perseverance, and resiliency as she became the first generation in her immediate family to earn a bachelor’s degree. The embodiment of why Educational Opportunity Programs such as Upward Bound, Talent Search, and Student Support Services were created in the first place, Danielle utilized the TRIO Upward Bound program at Northern Vermont University Lyndon as a springboard that allowed her to reach her fullest potential, and ensure that lack of knowledge or financial resources didn’t hinder her from success in a post-secondary education.

On Friday, November 12th, six Northern Vermont University – Lyndon Upward Bound students took the chance to tour Keene State College. Located in southwestern New Hampshire, Keene State is a liberal arts college with many unique majors on offer, a robust student support system, especially for first-generation college students, and active athletic teams. The six Upward Bound students who attended the tour are all student athletes, ranging from sophomores to seniors in High School, with diverse post-graduate goals. Students in the group hope to study nursing, veterinary sciences, education, medical sciences, physical therapy, and psychology.

The Northern Vermont University - Lyndon Upward Bound program has begun accepting applications for new students for the 2022 academic year and summer residential program. Upward Bound is a federally funded program through the U.S. Department of Education that is committed to providing modest-income, first-generation, and college-bound students the academic background, college preparatory experiences and support needed to succeed in college immediately after high school.

Eligible students must be in 9th or 10th grade and meet at least one of the following criteria: they will be of the first generation in their family to obtain a 4 year college degree, and/or come from a modest income family. Students are considered first generation if neither of their parents or legal guardians possess a bachelor’s degree. Financial eligibility is determined by taxable income and household size. A family of four is eligible if their taxable income for the 2020 tax year is less than $39,300. A student may be eligible for the program even if they only meet one of the two criteria.

On Friday, December 10th, three Northern Vermont University – Lyndon Upward Bound students decided to spend the cold winter day touring Saint Anselm College. Located in Goffstown, NH, Saint Anselm College is a private, Benedictine, Liberal Arts College which offers a wide variety of undergraduate majors, Division II athletics, and many different clubs and activities for their students.

The Upward Bound students, Charlie, Jayden, and Thomas, spent the two hour drive south talking about what they hoped to learn about the college on the tour. All three students are high school juniors with interests in engineering, psychology, and pre-medical studies respectively. They brainstormed questions that they planned to ask the tour guide and talked through the pros and cons of different colleges.

Peg Hale, Registrar at Lyndon Institute, was recently selected as the 2021 Carolyn Donahue Friend of EOP Award recipient by the Vermont Educational Opportunity Programs (VEOP). The Vermont Educational Opportunity Programs is the state’s highest professional organization that is actively interested in ensuring equal educational opportunity for the state’s first-generation, college-bound, and modest-income students. This award recognizes individuals who work tirelessly to improve access to higher education for moderate-income and/or first-generation students, ensure their success in a post-secondary setting, and has made a tremendous impact on TRIO and GEAR Up students in their schools!

To receive this award, the nominee has to be a strong supporter of TRIO students and programs in Vermont, and has to be employed outside of the TRIO community in high schools or at institutions of higher education.

The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) is pleased to announce Timothy Chamberlin, Director of School Counseling, Lake Region Union High School, Orleans, Vermont is being honored as a 2022 state school counselor of the year, representing the state of Vermont. Timothy Chamberlin has been a school counselor since 1998.

“Mr. Chamberlin is an outstanding school counselor and he truly deserves this award’ stated Northern Vermont University Upward Bound Director Rick Williams. “Over the last for twenty-three years, his days at Lake Region High School revolve around supporting his students with class registration, community service hours, financial aid, college and career counseling, and so much more. As a counselor, Tim always goes above and beyond the call of duty. Annually, he hosts a Financial Aid Night for high school seniors where he provides them and their families with guidance for completing the FAFSA and VSAC grant applications. Tim also works hard to ensure that all of his students have access to post-secondary education if they want it - he coordinates the Advanced Placement and Flexible Pathways programs, assists students with Dual Enrollment registration, acts as liaison between the high school and the North Country Career Center, and organizes the annual College and Career Fair.

​On February 21st and 22nd, Five TRIO Upward Bound students from Northern Vermont University – Lyndon traveled to Bangor, Maine for an overnight trip to tour two colleges: The University of Maine at Orono, and Husson University. They were joined by Lyndon Upward Bound Alumna and summer Residential Tutor Counselor Lauren Holt who offered to help chaperone the trip! The group left bright and early on Monday morning from the Lyndon Campus and the students talked for the entire duration of the 4 and a half hour van ride to Husson University, a small private liberal arts college in Bangor, ME with over 70 degree programs and one of the cheapest tuition rates of any college in the country. After eating lunch at the Dickerman Dining Center, the students headed out on a tour of the campus and its facilities, led by a current student in the Education program at Husson University.

Five Northern Vermont University’s Lyndon Upward Bound students were the guest of three of Maine’s most selective colleges; Colby College, Bates College, and Bowdoin College. For many of these schools, these were some of the first in-person college tours they have given in over a year. The students started off with a presentation by an admissions officer at Colby which covered retention rate, campus life, cost, and life after college. The students then had a 90 minute tour by two Colby students that covered life on campus, academic buildings, dining hall, and athletic facilities.

The Upward Bound program then traveled to Lewiston Maine for a self-guided tour of Bates College, a small private liberal arts college with just over 1800 students. The students were also able to see a 30 minute virtual information session about the campus and it’s history, the community, and their holistic approach to admissions.