http://newsok.com/article/1424319/?template=news/mainStudents rally at Capitol for education program
By Susan Parrott
The Oklahoman
About 900 high school and college students rallied at the state Capitol on Monday to seek support for an endangered federal program that helps disadvantaged students prepare for college.
Students from across the state packed the House chambers and filled the Capitol rotunda to raise awareness of TRIO, a battery of federally funded programs that last year benefited 27,323 Oklahoma students.
More than $24 million in federal grants last year paid for programs such as Upward Bound, Talent Search and Educational Opportunities Centers at middle and high schools, colleges and universities.
President Bush proposes ending TRIO and other educational programs to pay for a new $1.2 billion high school intervention initiative. That initiative would extend No Child Left Behind Act reforms to high schools through improved testing programs and other programs for disadvantaged youth.
Oklahomans rallying Monday said they want Congress to know the program is making a positive difference in Oklahoma.
"The students represent the highest aspirations and best hope for themselves, their families, the state and nation," said Kris Simpson, president of the Oklahoma division of Student Assistance and a guidance counselor at Southeastern Oklahoma State University.
The program targets students who are from poor families, are disabled or culturally disadvantaged, or have parents who never attended college. It provides academic counseling and assistance with college applications and financial aid to high school students, and helps keep disadvantaged college students in school.
Upward Bound students are four times more likely to earn an undergraduate degree than other students from similar backgrounds, U.S. Rep. Tom Cole, R-Moore, said. He told the students he would fight Bush's plan to eliminate funding.
"That is a big-time mistake," Cole said. "I think we're going to win that battle."
Charles Taylor, a Lawton high school senior, said participation in Cameron University's Upward Bound program gave him the confidence he needed to become a student leader.
Upward Bound staff encouraged him to take the Preliminary SAT and he now has offers of full scholarships to three universities.
"Without Upward Bound I would not be as socially or academically successful," Taylor said.
University of Oklahoma student Justin Reyes said he has been encouraged through the McNair Scholars Program, a state program helping disadvantaged students seek graduate degrees.
Reyes said he grew up in a Dallas neighborhood where many of his peers dropped out of high school or ended up in jail.
"I realize I can do so much more if I continue my education," said Reyes, who is studying international business. "It's changed my view of what I can do."
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