Some children that grow up in lower-income households or places with less opportunities don’t always realize that college can be an option for their future.  That’s where federal programs like Upward Bound come in.  In Muncie, staff in the program housed at Ivy Tech Community College are spending the summer helping high schoolers learn new things, bring up their study skills, and encourage them to pursue college in the future.  IPR’s Kwaku Dakwa reports.

During the summer, many high schoolers can be found traveling, working or relaxing. These students are part of a summer program called Upward Bound, which has helped students like high school senior Ashley Wolfe, perform better in school.

“Last year, I was not a very good student school-wise.  And Upward Bound really helped me focus a lot in school and get my grades where they needed to be for college.”

The director of Muncie’s Upward Bound, Rebecca Parker, says the program is federally funded and helps students who are lower income, academically at-risk, or first generation college students.

“The goal of this program is to really support, nurture, and care for our students through mentorship, education, and leadership development.”

Classes that are offered include English, American Sign Language, web design and development and more. But Parker says every day is different.

“I don’t know that there is a typical day and that’s very intentional.  We want them to not necessarily know what to expect, and to be surprised and delighted by all of the things we offer.”

Something the program is offering students is the chance to participate in building a catapult as part of their catapult physics class taught by Chris Battaglia.

“He’s going to be working with the kids this summer to build one or two large scale Trebuchets that are going to be about 10 feet tall, and they are going to launch a projectile about 200 feet at Canan Commons.”

The launch event will be held on July 11 and is open to the public.