Augie Melendez
The 鶹ɫƬ TRIO Upward Bound program celebrated its 2020 Virtual Awards Ceremony July 16 via GoToMeeting.
Priselda P. Perez, Upward Bound director, welcomed the audience and recognized guests and alumni.
“We have had some challenging times this past year, but looking back I believe all of our students have worked hard to continue to meet their academic and personal goals,” Perez said.
“I have seen a tremendous amount of resiliency and heartfelt commitment to making the best out of our current situation. I commend the students, parents, Upward Bound instructors, staff, alumni and many of those in our community at 鶹ɫƬ and Ball High for their efforts in supporting academic and personal pursuits. We will continue to overcome any challenge put forward as a team and as a family.”
Perez introduced 鶹ɫƬ and Upward Bound alumnus Agustin (Augie) Melendez, a certified/licensed athletic trainer at the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, who gave an inspirational keynote presentation.
Melendez encouraged the students to set goals and to turn any setbacks into positive learning experiences.
“There are not enough mirrors for students of color in higher education, only windows,” Melendez said. “It’s easy to become a statistic. The hardest part is letting yourself fall into the negative.”
Following a slideshow presentation created by Gabriela Zepeda that honored the Class of 2020, graduates were recognized by Perez.
2020 Bridge program and early admissions students were recognized by Rosie Rios, Upward Bound academic coordinator.
Summer academic course awards were presented by Upward Bound instructors.
The Leadership Award, Service Award, Outstanding Bridge Student Award, Outstanding Senior Award and School/Work/Life Balance Awards were presented by Rios.
Closing remarks were made by Perez.
Class of 2020 members and their chosen colleges include Oswaldo Alonso, Galveston College; Jasmin Arcega, Stephen F. Austin University; Leslie Castillo, 鶹ɫƬ; Geovon Evans, 鶹ɫƬ; Anais Franco, 鶹ɫƬ; Eliazar Garcia, 鶹ɫƬ; MarcoAntonio Gomez, 鶹ɫƬ; Amethyst Guerra, Galveston College; Marisol Gutierrez, 鶹ɫƬ; Wai Kaung, University of Texas; Camryn Montoya, 鶹ɫƬ; Daniel Ortiz, College of the Mainland; and Gatien Powell, 鶹ɫƬ.
Also, Benjamin Pulido, 鶹ɫƬ; Kate Ramos, 鶹ɫƬ; Kyra Ramos, 鶹ɫƬ; Donavan Reeder, 鶹ɫƬ; Katherine Rivera, Galveston College; Kiara Ruiz, 鶹ɫƬ; Amari Williams, Lamar University; and Leyha Williams, Howard University.
To view Melendez’s presentation, visit the 鶹ɫƬ Facebook page.