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Message from the Director—Will Ashford: Upward Bound started the academic year on a good note. August 5th & September 6th - Students participated in ACT Workshops to get them ready for the big test!! STEMulations: Educate! Innovate! - Upward Bound was awarded a WIA grant to focus on Science, Engineering & Math in Boone County. This program is designed to help our students expand their knowledge in these fields.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ALL THE OCTOBER & NOVEMBER October 2011 October 1st NIU College Visit October 5th RVC College Fair October 6-8th Iowa State/Univ of Iowa October 10th Columbus Day—NO School National College Fair October 22nd ACT Testing—Senior Retake Murder Mystery Lunch - No Seniors October 28-30th MAEOPP Conference—Tentative November 2011 November 11th Veterans Day—NO School Milton House & Beloit College November 19th Holiday Cultural Fair November 24-25 Thanksgiving Break December 2011 December 3rd Bell Ringing December 10th ACT Testing (Juniors) December 16th Family Community Service Project December 19th—31st Winter Break
UB STUDENTS!!! Tori Malone Oct 7th Uriel Garcia Oct 12th Braxton Washington Oct 12th DeShawna Davis Oct 23rd Deza Davis Oct 23rd Josh Long Oct 27th Chris De La Paz Oct 31st Johnathan Nguyen Nov 3rd Cheyanne Gorsuch Nov 4th Sheila Ogbevire Nov 15th Steven Riley Martin Nov 18th Nataly Ruvalcaba Nov 19th Tonee Jimenez Nov 20th Alyssa Johnson Nov 23rd Janet Saldana Nov 23rd
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Job Shadowing Experiences Job Shadowing is a vital part of the summer program. Students work with our local business and organizations from July 25th to August 19th to gain valuable experiences and are able to explore career options. The students and staff want to express our deepest appreciation to the businesses and organizations that allowed our students this opportunity. This summer’s businesses and organizations included Maverick Media Broadcasting Company, St. Elizabeth’s Day Care Center, Discovery Center Museum, Toad Hall Books and Records, and Hillcrest Animal Hospital. A big thanks goes out to all of them.
Discovery Center Dearest UB Students, I cannot stress how much Job Shadowing has kept my busy-less left over summer days more interesting. It was a great opportunity to network and connect with the community. Discovery Center was really fun and on top of that, the staff members were great and very welcoming. My favorite activity at the Discovery Center was Messy Mondays because we got to create a lot of stuff. Even though job shadowing has ended, I’m going to continue volunteering at Discovery Center because it is a great opportunity to keep connecting with the community and will help with college applications. If you are comfortable interacting with families, then you should definitely consider volunteering or job shadowing at the Discovery Center. Kasia Lor Hi my name is Mindy Nguyen, I did my four weeks of job shadowing at the Discovery Center Museum. It was a very fun experience. It gives you experience as if you were working a real job. I got to do a variety of activities while working, from arts and craft to garage sales. I was able to work Messy Mondays which is a different event every Monday in the Art Studio. There was picture frames to spin art with salad makers. It was such a good time. I also got to help kids make pizzas in tot spot. Another fun thing I did was face painting. I worked most of these stations with Kasia, another UB student. At the end of my four weeks it was very sad leaving. It was such an amazing opportunity. I will miss my boss Lori she was the best. I really hope to be able to do job shadowing again next year. I really think everyone should try it.
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Maverick Media Hi, I’m Tia Crawford and my job shadowing experience at maverick media showed me how the behind the scenes of broadcasting works. I learned how radio stations do their commercials, how a remote works, and what it takes to run a radio station. Most people who listen to the radio believe that it is easy, and that all they do is talk. There is way more to it than just talking and pushing buttons. The first couple of weeks I wasn’t sure if broadcasting was for me. I really appreciated this opportunity and would like to give a special thanks to Ebony and the UB staff. Tia Crawford. This past summer, the Upward Bound gave me the wonderful opportunity to work at a local radio station. Maverick Media in Rockford is the home of the radio stations BOB FM, B103, WNTA, and 104.9 The X. Over the four weeks of shadowing, I got to meet a ton of people and visit many places around Rockford that I would not have gotten to know otherwise. I worked with radio show hosts, show producers, remote technicians, salespeople, and many others. The environment at Maverick was accepting and casual, almost family-like, so Tia and I felt comfortable and eager to come back. I learned all about planning, editing, and carrying out shows, and I realized the huge part commercials have in the broadcasting business. The funniest parts were being able to talk on-air, attending important sales meetings, working the producer's panel during shows, and tagging along on radio remotes at different locations, such as golf courses, Road Ranger stadium,
and Magic Waters. Broadcasting is, without a doubt, an interesting career field, for there is always something to do. Although I don't consider Broadcasting as one of my top career choices, job shadowing at Maverick Media was an unforgettable experience that I am truly grateful I had. Janet Saldana
St. Elizabeth Center Upward bound gives us a great opportunity to job shadow. The job I choose to shadow was St. Elizabeth’s Daycare Center. I choose that job because I wanted to see if I would work well with children. The kids were nice and inviting. I would go golfing with them, make cookies, and go to the park with them. My experience at St.Elizabeths was great. I want to become a Dental Hygienist and work with children. Deza Davis
Hillcrest Animal Hospital Over the summer I had the most wonderful opportunity to work at the hillcrest animal clinic. Not only did I get to see tons of animals like a wolf, a bird and rooster, but I also got to see a variety of surgeries. I got to see a C-section on a bulldog and see all the little babies born, it was incredible. Seeing all those surgeries made me think maybe I could handle being a doctor these doctors had their ups and down but the animals were always taken such great care of. If you have a love for animals and don’t mind getting messy, then maybe being a veterinarian might be the right career for you. Thanks upward bound this was one experience I will never forget. DeShawna Davis
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Just Goods During the time I was working at Just Goods, I learned how to work the cash Register. It was a pretty exciting experience. The other workers were very patient and always were willing to help me. Some of the days were worse than others. For example, trying to figure out how to give the customer a gift card or gift receipt for another person they know. But not only did I eventually learn how to do that, I learned how to show different colors and sizes or shapes of certain things to the customer also. Honestly I can say that one of the most important things about working. Honestly I can say that’s one of the most important things about working there, because of the way everything is set up. You also have to watch the people who come in because you will never know what they are capable of doing. I really enjoyed my time working at Just Goods, and they have allowed me to come back and work with them whenever I want. I am positive that working there has given me more options for future jobs. No, it wasn’t easy at first but it was hard work that needed to get completed. And I did exactly what they hired me to do and so much more. Ajai Foster
Toad Hall My experience in job shadowing turned out to be very useful. I learned how to get along not only with the people my age but older people as well. I also learned that you have to pay attention to all of the smaller details of a business. Sometimes work did get hard but I had to learn how to deal with it. As I was working I aimed for certain goals to accomplish by the end of the day. Job shadowing also allowed me to network. Nick has a degree in business so if I had any questions about it I could just go and ask him his opinion. This concludes the things I have gotten from job shadowing. Diego Ruvalcaba
My name is Anthony Harden and my time at Toad Hall taught me that running a business is way more work than some people believe. My experience at Toad Hall wasn’t exactly what I thought it would be. I pictured myself selling items to customer but instead I was doing more organizing stuff. And surprisingly I enjoyed it! I ended up learning about a lot of older music and books. To make it even better, my boss was amazing. My boss Pat, taught me about how hard it really is to run a business and how it isn’t as easy as it looks on TV. My time job shadowing has made me love Toad Hall and I will do community service there any time. Anthony Harden
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UB Updates Harlem Study Plus Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 3:50pm to 5:50pm Room E-115 Program Coordinator—Jessica Brady Lead Teacher—Mary Rudzinski
Belvidere Study Plus Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday 3:15pm to 5:15pm Library 2nd Floor & Computer Lab Room 208 Lead Teacher—TBA Program Coordinator—Megan Magnuson
East Study Plus Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday 3:40pm to 5:40pm Room 218 Program Coordinator—Skip Gilbert Lead Teacher—Diane Kuehl
Jefferson Study Plus Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday 3:40pm to 5:40pm Room 223 Program Coordinator—Sierra Chandler Lead Teacher—Lisa Williams
Page 7 Rock Valley College Upward Bound Program and The Parent and Community Empowerment Department of the Rockford School District have partnered to present Parent Power, a series of workshops for parents designed to increase career and college readiness. The series will address topics that aim to give parents practical information on how they can contribute to ensuring their students success. All parents are welcome!
Upward Bound Students Participate in National Pilot Program Rock Valley College Upward Bound students were given a wonderful opportunity this fall. The Testing Center at Rock Valley College wrote a proposal to participate in a pilot program presented by the College Board and Pearson Publishing. The pilot program will measure the students’ college readiness in the areas of math and reading through an accuplacer assessment test. After the assessment the students will be given individualized learning modules which they will work on throughout the year during Study Plus sessions, to enhance their reading and math skills. When students complete the modules, they will be retested to determine the learning modules effectiveness in increasing students’ skill levels. This will benefit students by increasing high school grades in math and reading, acting as ACT test preparation and increasing students’ college readiness skills. The Rock Valley College Testing Center and the Upward Bound students were one of 10 groups nationwide to be asked to participate in this pilot program. We are very grateful that are students were given this exceptional opportunity.
3301 N. Mulford Rd. Rockford, IL 61114 Phone: 815-921-4235 Fax: 815-921-4229 A LLJF Production. Copyright 2009
www.rockvalleycollege.edu/upwardbound
Upward Bound Creed I am part of the fellowship of Upward Bound. I have the power of knowledge. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I will graduate from college. I won’t look back, let up, slow down, or back away. I am Upward Bound. My past is my foundation, my present makes sense, my future is secure. I’m finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, cheep giving and dwarfed goals. I am Up-
ward Bound, and my goal is a college diploma.
I no longer need pre-eminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits or popularity. I don’t have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded or rewarded. I am Upward Bound, and my goal is a college diploma. My fate is set, my gait is fast, my goal is a college degree, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions few, my mission is clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, diluted or delayed. I am Up-
ward Bound, and my goal is a college diploma. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, ponder at the pool of popularity or meander in the maze of mediocrity. I won’t give up, shut up, let up, until I have stayed up, stored up, studied up, paid up, for the cause of education. I am Upward Bound and my goal is a college diploma!
RVC is an equal opportunity employer committed to increasing diversity and encourages applications from members of underrepresented groups. EOE