SHU Program Helps High School Student get into Stanford

Upward Bound brings local teenagers to SHU for college readiness activities

Area high school senior Abel Gebretinsae earned a full ride to Stanford University in California this fall, partly due to Sacred Heart University’s college readiness program, Upward Bound.

Upward Bound is a federally funded program under the U.S. Department of Education. Its goal is to develop and improve the academic skills needed in high school and to increase the number of underserved high school students who go on to attend and graduate from postsecondary education.

Gebretinsae, 17, a senior at Fairchild Wheeler Interdistrict Multi-Magnet High School in Bridgeport, worked hard throughout his high school years. He also spent four years involved in Upward Bound, which he said helped ready him for academic and personal achievements.

“Upward Bound played a crucial role in preparing me for my future by providing academic support, college and career readiness resources and personalized counseling,” he said. “The program has boosted my confidence and improved my academic skills. It has truly set me on a path toward success in higher education and beyond.”

Gebretinsae plans to study artificial intelligence and technology at Stanford. “Upward Bound has helped me feel more prepared for college and offered me valuable guidance for my future,” he said.

Upward Bound students attend Saturday workshops at Sacred Heart during the school year and a six-week academic component at SHU in the summer. In addition to offering SAT workshops, tutoring, academic and career counseling and cultural enrichment trips, the program provides students with a close-knit community even while they attend college.

Gebretinsae said he appreciates the program’s workshops that exposed him to different career paths and majors, and he also enjoyed making friends and going on many outings. “Some of my favorite moments from Upward Bound include trips to New York City and Lake Compounce,” he said.

“I’m so proud of him,” said Carylanne Rice-Ehalt, long-time Upward Bound director. “Abel is an all-around good kid, and we’re absolutely thrilled for him.”

Rice-Ehalt watched Gebretinsae grow personally and academically in Upward Bound and said that’s the beauty of the program: it isn’t just about schoolwork. She said it prepares students for the real world by teaching them etiquette, how to present themselves and how to ask for help. “We are teaching them life skills,” she said.

Gebretinsae’s scholarship and admittance to Stanford are a true mark of accomplishment for SHU’s Upward Bound program. Rice-Ehalt said that, while her students are successful, Gebretinsae’s achievements represent another milestone for the program. “Abel’s the whole package,” she said.