“The Upward Bound (UB) summer experience has influenced me in ways I can never truly repay,” says Pedro Caballero, who leveraged YVC’s Running Start Program and obtained a transfer degree.
“YVC’s summer program allowed me to create lifelong bonds and relationships with peers across the Yakima Valley who I would have never met without it.”
This connection was especially important to Caballero, coming from a poverty-impacted neighborhood in Granger, and dreaming of resources his school district was unable to offer.
“UB sparked my interest in seeing myself in a university and obtaining a higher education that my school couldn't provide for me. The summer experience also prepared me for college applications, resume writing and scholarship applications.”
After YVC he transferred to the University of Washington and earned dual degrees in public health with a concentration of global health and political science with a minor in data science.
For over 40 years, UB at Yakima Valley College (YVC) has helped hundreds of students, like Caballero, from low-income and first-generation backgrounds reach their college dreams.
One of the most fulfilling and significant aspects of YVC’s UB program is the 6-week residential summer experience. Each summer students from Sunnyside, Granger, Toppenish and Wapato take core classes while staying in YVC’s Student Residence Center and getting to experience college life.
“This experience is important to students like me because many are low-income and uncertain of themselves and their future,” said Caballero. “This program allows these students to see themselves in other shoes and begin to imagine a different life for themselves.”
This summer Caballero was excited to return to the program as a resident assistant and help mentor and support the next generation of UB students.
“I feel as though, by helping to show students all of their potential, that UB has sparked a fire in their hearts and they can now see themselves continuing their education post-high school,” said Caballero. “It also allows a great chance for them to socialize with people from various walks of life and receive encouragement they may not get from home.”
YVC UB is federally funded by the U.S. Department of Education and serves students in grades 9 – 12 who attend Sunnyside, Granger, Wapato and Toppenish high schools. Each year, YVC’s program helps more than 100 students from those high schools better understand a college process that oftentimes can be overwhelming, especially for first-generation college students.
For Caballero, the next step in his journey is graduate and law school with the goal of becoming a public health attorney.
“YVC’s UB program truly helped shape who I am as a student, professional and person. The program and the amazing staff and people I have met along the way have helped me see the potential in myself. Now, I want to support low-income immigrant communities like my own,” says Caballero.
Story by Stefanie Menard, AA-DTA ’05, communications consultant. Photo by Matt Barton, graphic designer/multimedia content producer.