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Categories: Students   Faculty   Staff   Community  

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By Richard Reyes | Monday, Jan. 23, 2023

TRIO Upward Bound program organizes event to help high school students prepare for college

GALLUP, N.M. — The University of New Mexico-��˿������Ƶ TRIO Upward Bound program will host a College Access Night on campus Thursday, Jan. 26, to give area high school students insight into the college application process.

Brittany Tabor, ��˿������Ƶ-��˿������Ƶ TRIO Upward Bound program director, said the event is geared toward high school students, particularly sophomores and juniors, along with their parents. Counselors from various universities will lead sessions and give students a glimpse into what a college application looks like and what students need to strengthen their applications.

“That will be a big one to help students understand that process,” Tabor said. “We will also be covering key insight and tips, exploring different opportunities for studying out of state and attending an out-of-state school.”

Counselors from out-of-state schools are slated to participate in the event, including Cornell University, Colorado State University, Northern Arizona University, Southwestern University, Tufts University, The University of Arizona, The University of Chicago, and University of Portland.

Some of the universities are partners with Davis New Mexico Scholarship, which is co-sponsoring the College Access Night. Davis is also a partner with Rural Opportunities for College Access New Mexico, which is also co-sponsoring the event.

Tabor said ROCA focuses on college access for high school students who live in rural communities, while Davis provides scholarship opportunities for New Mexico students.

“It’s just a really amazing opportunity, and I was really excited when they asked to partner for this College Access Night,” Tabor said.

Students and parents will be able to learn more about ROCA and Davis during the event to see if they’re eligible for help and resources.

The College Access Night will also feature a mini-college fair, allowing students to learn more information about the participating schools.

“It will be a really quick event, but it’s going to be a powerful event because we’re bringing the experts to our students and parents,” Tabor said.

The counselor-led sessions will be spread throughout Gurley Hall and Calvin Hall Center on campus. Tabor said the sessions are meant for small groups, which will allow students to have one-on-one time with counselors.

The event is open to all students and parents, but Tabor said it’s geared more toward sophomores and juniors because they are typically at the beginning or middle stages of figuring out their college options.

While many seniors may have already figured out their plans and it may be too early for freshmen to start thinking about their options, Tabor said they’re still welcome to participate if they’re interested.

“It’s really important to have a College Access Night here in ��˿������Ƶ, especially at ��˿������Ƶ-��˿������Ƶ,” Tabor said. “I really just want to be able to show our community that we’re here to help. We want our community of ��˿������Ƶ to know that there are resources and there is support out there. ��˿������Ƶ-��˿������Ƶ is an institution of support, a hub of support, a community of support, and we want to provide these opportunities.”

Tabor also hopes the event brings more exposure to the TRIO Upward Bound program because she wants to recruit new members.

TRIO Upward Bound focuses on college access and college readiness for high school students who come from low-income households and/or who would be the first in their families to attend college.

Tabor said the ��˿������Ƶ-��˿������Ƶ program works with 60 students right now, but she has 40 spots available. She hopes more students with a desire to attend college get involved in the program so they can learn more about what they need to do and how to get ready for college.

“It’s really important that our TRIO Upward Bound program has the opportunity to host this event and be in the mix of this because our whole deal is providing our first-generation and low-income students the opportunity of learning and preparing for life after high school,” she said. “Being able to partner with these big schools is great. It’s great to be in a spot where we can all gather and bring our community together. It does mean a lot because we do have great opportunities here in ��˿������Ƶ, but there is so much more out there.”

The College Access Night is scheduled from 5-7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 26, in Gurley Hall and Calvin Hall Center on the ��˿������Ƶ-��˿������Ƶ campus, 705 Gurley Ave.

Students are encouraged to register for the event in advance. To register, fill out the form at this link:
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For more information about the event or about TRIO Upward Bound, contact Brittany Tabor at brt27@unm.edu.