Upward Bound Summer Academy Students Showcase Research at SDSU

The Upward Bound Summer Academy, hosted by the Institute for Transformative Education (ITE) at San Diego State University, recently concluded with a mock thesis defense symposium where low-income, first-generation high school students presented research on public health issues. During the month-long program, participants experienced college life by living in dorms, attending lectures, and conducting independent research on topics ranging from mental health to climate change, with students representing Sweetwater, San Diego Unified, and Grossmont school districts. The program, part of the federally funded TRIO initiatives founded by Dr. Cynthia Park in 1983, provides crucial academic support to underserved students but now faces potential cuts to Department of Education funding.