For the past two years, Angel Garcia has walked the Fresno State campus taking classes, meeting with counselors and sleeping in the dorms – all before graduating from high school.
The Madera High School senior even has an on-campus job in ticketing with Fresno State athletics where he works the home football games thanks to connections he made during a summer internship through the university’s Upward Bound program.
“I love watching football. My favorite team is the Seattle Seahawks. I love college football, too,” Garcia said. After his summer internship in the athletics marketing office ended, the supervisor realized she needed help during the football games, Garcia said, so she asked if he would like to work the home games. “I was so happy inside. It was really, really exciting.”
Garcia is one of about 70 students who participated in a six-week summer residential program through Fresno State Upward Bound this year, and he is part of a cohort of high school seniors who participate in Saturday college preparation workshops, known as Saturday academy.
Upward Bound is a federally-funded TRiO program serving low-income and/or first-generation college bound high school students. At Fresno State, the program serves high school students at Madera, Edison, Fresno, McLane, Roosevelt and Madera South.
“Our goal is to recruit freshmen and sophomore high school students and prepare them for higher education throughout their high school years,” said Estevan Parra, director of Fresno State Upward Bound Programs. “We provide many college campus tours. We offer many workshops on mental health, imposter syndrome, resume building, email etiquette and more to prepare our future leaders.”
The program also offers tutors at high school sites, academic counselors at Fresno State and educates students about the college resources that will be available to them once they enroll at a higher education institution, whether that is Fresno State or elsewhere.
Program statistics show that more than 90% of Fresno State’s Upward Bound students have a 2.5 GPA or higher, while only 54% of high school students across California average above a 2.5 GPA or higher. Upward Bound participants are also more likely to attend college, with 91% pursuing higher education compared to 64% of high school seniors across the state.
While the Upward Bound students at Fresno State do not have to attend the university, nearly half of the 36 high school seniors who graduated this past spring ended up at Fresno State, Parra said.
“We take pride in being Bulldogs, in our service and the care we offer,” Parra said. “We’re passionate about our work, and through that passion, we build a connection with our students”.
Garcia heard about Upward Bound from his older sister, who also participated in the program. This past summer, Garcia lived on campus where he was paired with a roommate, ate in the dining hall and took three classes — English, Spanish and math — before participating in group activities that included workshops and guest speakers. The program took the students on college visits every Friday and mixed in cultural experiences like museums.
“Upward Bound teaches so many valuable lessons about what’s after high school,” Garcia said. “All the counselors, the resident advisers, are trying to make you be better versions of yourself. It’s a great program.”
Fresno State is Garcia’s dream school, he said, though he admits the University of California, Berkeley was near the top of his wish list, too. But after learning about the programs at Fresno State, comparing costs and learning about resources, Garcia said he wants to stay closer to home. He plans to study marketing and business after finding some success in running a small business during the COVID pandemic. He also learned how to make and take sales calls while interning in athletics this past summer.
“I’d rather stay home, so Fresno State is good for me,” Garcia said. “I love the campus … everyone I’ve met so far is so nice and welcoming and Fresno State is close to my family and home. I can commute there. I can go and come back on the same day. I’d miss my family if I go somewhere far. Also, Fresno State has a really great business program that I would be happy to be part of.”
