Motivating students
By Barbara Sutherland Chovanec
Christine Kageff, vice president of philanthropy and community relations for Chase, has taken a personal interest in CMU’s Upward Bound program in Detroit, which helps high school students prepare for college.
Chase helps fund Upward Bound’s summer institute at CMU and has purchased computers, Internet access, and other items for the classrooms at Detroit International Academy girls’ school and Frederick Douglas Academy boys’ school.
But for Kageff, it’s about much more than the money.
“As a company we certainly like Upward Bound, but it’s a personal connection for me, too,” she says. “It’s a really wonderful thing to see these students get into college.”
Upward Bound serves high school students from low-income families and from families in which neither parent holds a bachelor’s degree. The program helps students with college applications, financial aid forms, academic advising, résumé preparation, career planning, after-school tutoring, and training to build solid study skills.
During the summer, Upward Bound offers a six-week academy, starting with two weeks in Detroit for ACT preparation classes. Then the students travel to CMU for a first-hand look at a college experience. They stay in residence halls, take academic enrichment courses designed for them, and learn from CMU students who serve as mentors during the academy.
Kageff visited the summer program on campus last summer and says the high school students thrive from the experience.
“The kids are coming back to high school in the fall ahead of their peers – and right where they need to be for college,” she says.
Chase began funding youth education projects through CMU’s Upward Bound program in 2003. CMU receives federal funding from the U.S. Department of Education for Upward Bound, but Chase’s support supplements the federal budget with money for field trips, additional support services like ACT prep, and other extras that make the program special.
“The students know that they’re part of something special that’s preparing them for the next level in life,” says Montisa Watkins, CMU’s director of Upward Bound. “Chase’s funding and support help the students really see that when you get an education, you have options.”
For Chase, supporting the Upward Bound program falls in line with the foundation’s priority of supporting youth education.
“There’s been a disparity of educational support in urban areas,” Kageff says. “We think every child should be prepared to succeed and go to college if they wish. We want to help make that happen.” •
