Banning Unified 411!

Up, up and away to college … Broncos!

By Banning High School Principal Matt Valdivia

Did you know that you can earn twice as much with a college degree?

Did you know that you can live nine years longer with a college degree?

With these findings in mind, I’m committed to seeing every eligible student at Banning High School sign up for an innovative college program called Upward Bound OASIS.

It’s geared toward helping low-income students and students from families in which neither parent holds a bachelor’s degree. Upward Bound OASIS offers a free, close-up look at college life through a partnership between the University of California, Riverside, and Banning High School.

Students can apply now, so see your guidance counselor for details!

Leaps and bounds

For 20 years, Upward Bound OASIS has helped thousands of Inland Empire high school students pursue their dreams of a college education. The federally funded program harkens to the mid-1960s and President Johnson’s War on Poverty. UCR has been awarded federal grants totaling $3.1 million for the Upward Bound Oasis program to serve students for the next five years.

When Banning High students sign-up this school year, they’ll visit UCR, enjoy college enrichment courses, and grow academically through tutoring and mentoring from college students. UCR students will provide free, after-school tutoring once-a-week at Banning High. One Saturday each month, buses will take students from Banning High to UCR for tutoring in their regular high school curriculum and to participate in cultural activities involving science, medicine, music, and the arts. Upward Bound OASIS provides students with meals, transportation, and any needed lodging for the program, which is free to all students.

And there’s more—Upward Bound OASIS counselors will help students prepare for SAT and ACT entrance exams, complete college applications, apply for student loans and scholarships, and meet entrance requirements at the University of California and California State University systems. On average, Upward Bound OASIS students enroll at more than a dozen universities each year, including UCLA, USC, and UC Berkeley.

College life

Upward Bound OASIS also offers an intensive, six-week summer program for students to experience college life. For the first month of the summer program, students are bused from Banning High to UCR five-days-a-week.

Academic classes, electives, and enrichment courses are held Monday through Thursday, with Fridays reserved for college campus tours and cultural activities, like museum tours. While at UCR, students eat in college dining rooms and live in the dorms for the last two weeks. Participating students each receive a $90 stipend for participating in the summer college preparation program. A select group of seniors from Riverside and San Bernardino counties in the Upward Bound OASIS, Upward Bound CLASSIC, and Upward Bound RCJ programs also embark on three-day college tours through Northern California.

Bright future

At Banning High, teachers and staff commit to ensuring every student a future of possibility and hope. Last summer, 20 Banning High students participated in the Upward Bound Oasis program. Now, it’s your turn to apply for free by filling out an application and providing transcripts, a teacher/counselor recommendation, a one-page essay, and waiver forms.

So, when you take everything into account, making $1 million more during your lifetime, enjoying better health, and experiencing greater career satisfaction, Upward Bound OASIS can be a life-changing experience!