TRIO Programs Upward Bound and STEMsub Team Up to Support Washington Students

By Helen Chyz | Academic Advisor | UW Math Science Upward Bound (STEMsub)

69 high school seniors from the University of Washington Upward Bound (UB) and Math Science Upward Bound (STEMsub) programs will be attending the UW Seattle campus this fall, and they have already had the chance to meet to their future advisors in UW Student Support Services (SSS).

The transition to college has never been easy, but the class of 2022 is up against unique challenges. They were forced into online learning halfway through 10^th grade, spent all of 11^th grade online, and have re-entered in-person learning for their senior year. UB and STEMsub offer Summer Academies on the UW Seattle campus to give students a taste of the college experience, but those programs have been online as well.

Counseling Services Coordinators Tony Au from UB and Jana Chieu from STEMsub organized meet-and-greet sessions with the UW SSS advisors at the students’ high schools during lunch and after school. Students got to see the continuity of OMAD TRIO programs, since their UB and STEMsub advisors were able to introduce the SSS advisors, affectionately calling them “cousin” programs. SSS advisors described the services these students will receive at the UW, including individual advising, tutoring support, and community connections, which will feel familiar given these students’ participation in UB and STEMsub.

UB, STEMsub, and SSS are all TRIO programs, funded by Department of Education grants to support low-income and/or first-generation college students toward a postsecondary degree. UB supports 10^th, 11^th, and 12^th graders at Chief Sealth, Cleveland, Franklin, and Kent Meridian High Schools. STEMsub supports 11^th and 12^th graders at Chief Sealth, Cleveland, Foster, and Franklin High Schools. The University of Washington also hosts two other TRIO programs: the Educational Talent Search program and the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program.