Pima Community College has received nearly $1.5 million from the U.S. Department of Education (ED), which it will use to serve low-income and first-generation students interested in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) degrees from select high schools.
The TRiO Upward Bound Math and Science (UBMS) Program – funded with $1,437,685 – will support 60 students from Alta Vista, Desert View and Sunnyside high schools a year for five years.
The program aims to offer academic tutoring and mentorship; high school and college course selection assistance; financial aid application help; guidance on secondary school reentry, alternative education programs, and college entry; and financial literacy education.
The area served by the three schools covers parts of the Tohono O’odham Nation and Pascua Yaqui Indian Reservation. 84% of area residents are Hispanic, with more than 42% of families earning incomes less than 150% of the poverty rate. And less than 10% of graduates of the area’s high schools earn a degree within six years of graduating.
