(January 19, 2017) KANSAS CITY, MO – Terren Jones, a senior at Ruskin High School and an Avila University Upward Bound participant since 2014, has been awarded a Horatio Alger scholarship in the amount of $10,000.
The Horatio Alger Association has awarded more than $125 million in privately funded need-based scholarships to more than 22,000 young people over the past 31 years in all 50 states and Puerto Rico.
“It was an honor to be chosen as a Horatio Alger Scholarship recipient,” Jones said. “It was an emotional process putting my story into words, but my Upward Bound advisors were there every step of the way. All the hard work that was put into the scholarship definitely paid off.”
The Upward Bound program at Avila supplements a student’s high school experience with academic enrichment services, career exploration, self-development opportunities, cultural exposure opportunities and assistance with college admissions and financial aid searches. Avila University has hosted the Upward Bound program since 1995
At Avila, Upward Bound is part of the TRIO program. TRIO programs are federally funded programs designed to provide educational access and assistance to income-eligible, first-generation and/or students with a disability. TRIO programs are funded under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965. TRIO programs are required to serve a majority of students who meet an income guideline and are also first-generation college students (the first in their family to complete a four-year college degree). All services are offered at no cost to participants.
The mission of TRIO at Avila University is to empower students to advance their achievement in higher education. TRIO strives to increase academic success, college access and graduation rates by using research-driven strategies to assist individuals in overcoming financial and academic, social and cultural barriers to higher education.
Avila University, a Catholic University sponsored by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, is a values-based community of learning providing liberal arts, professional, undergraduate and graduate education to prepare students for responsible, lifelong contributions to the global community. Our approach to education brings out the best in our students, so they can bring out the best in others.