While some of them may have heard it before, a group of high school students in the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville East St. Louis Center’s Upward Bound East St. Louis and Cahokia (EC) program listened to one of their own tell how planning, persistence and positive support can result in college success.
Upward Bound EC alumnus Eric Cooper spoke to the students Thursday, July 12 about how the program made higher education accessible for him and paved a pathway to success.
“From 2000-2004, I was sitting where you are now,” said Cooper. “My Upward Bound director was Barbara Sams, and she spent a lot of time helping me prepare for college.”
Cooper has a bachelor’s in marketing and communications from Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Mo., and a master’s in advertising and marketing communications from Webster University in St. Louis. He is currently in the higher educational leadership doctoral program at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Mo.
Cooper works as the director of enrollment management and financial aid at Cardinal Ritter College Prep High School in St. Louis. He previously worked as a senior recruitment coordinator at his alma mater, Lincoln University.
“Don’t ever let anyone devalue education to you,” Cooper told the students. “Malcolm X said: ‘Education is the passport to our future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.’”
“High school juniors should have identified at least 10 colleges they want to attend,” he instructed, “so they can narrow the selection down to about five in their senior year.”
Cooper also encouraged students to take advantage of opportunities to visit universities, as he did when he was in Upward Bound.
“At the age of 14, I went on an Upward Bound trip to Nashville and visited Tennessee State University, Fisk University, and Vanderbilt University,” recalled Cooper. “I got to visit these schools for free.”
“Because college costs a lot of money, it is smart to apply for as many scholarships as you can,” he continued. “If I had to do it over again, I wouldn’t have waited until I got to college to apply for scholarships. There is a lot of money out there for college that goes unclaimed. Take time to search for these scholarships and then fill out the applications completely and accurately.”
Once students get to college, they should work to make the most of it academically and socially, according to Cooper, who is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
“Create relationships – don’t graduate, and you haven’t built any networks,” he concluded. “College is like a garden, and at the end, they give you a shovel or a degree. Find your plot in the garden so that when you get your shovel, you will know where to dig.”
Cooper and five other Upward Bound alumni plan to give two $500 scholarships to two recent program alumni in a presentation scheduled for the end of July. Also contributing to the scholarship are Brandon Jackson, Donnell Johnson, Donald Roberson, Jeremy Sanders and Craig Slaughter.
The SIUE Upward Bound EC/BEM program helps youth prepare for higher education and serves students from East St. Louis and Cahokia (EC), and Brooklyn, East St. Louis Charter and Madison (BEM), High Schools. Participants receive instruction in literature, composition and STEM subjects on college campuses after school, on Saturdays and during the summer. The quality services provided will prepare the students for successful high school completion and entrance into post-secondary programs. Upward Bound is a college-preparatory program designed to serve low-income and/or potential first-generation college students who are currently in grades 9-12.
With a focus on empowering people and strengthening communities, the SIUE East St. Louis Center is dedicated to improving the lives of families and individuals - from pre-school through adult - in the Metro East. Head Start/Early Head Start and a charter high school are among the programs that offer the community renewed hope and an opportunity to reach educational, career and life goals. The Center also assigns first priority to encouraging, supporting and improving the educational success of the residents of East St. Louis and surrounding urban communities. The Center provides comprehensive programs, services and training in the areas of education, health, social services and the arts.
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Eric Cooper, SIUE East St. Louis Center Upward Bound EC alumnus, queries students on how to prepare for college.