HCC Central Upward Bound program receives $3.3 million from U.S. Department of Education

Jun 14, 2022

Houston Community College Central College has received a $3.3 million grant from the U.S Department of Education for first-generation college students and those from low-income households.

The grant will go toward HCC Central’s efforts to prepare students to graduate from high school, enroll into a post-secondary program and complete their programs of study. Funding will be distributed over the next five years to offer pre-college support services to 131 students a year.

"This grant illustrates HCC’s commitment to ensuring that each of our students have the resources they need to succeed in high school, be prepared to enter a post-secondary program — without needing remediation – and to successfully graduate with a college degree,” said HCC Central President Mudassir Siddiqi, Ed.D. “I am proud of the work our TRIO programs have already done, and I look forward to supporting their efforts to reach even more students thanks to this grant from the Department of Education.”

The grant comes from one of the Department of Education's eight TRIO programs, which have served first-generation students, students from low-income households and students with disabilities for more than 50 years.

HCC Central has received TRIO funding for a total of 44 years for Upward Bound, Student Support Services, and Educational Opportunity Centers. Central currently manages TRIO Upward Bound and TRIO’s Educational Opportunity Center grants.

The 131 students from the Upward Bound grant each year – over the five-year period – will originate from four high schools in Houston Independent School District (HISD): Northside, Austin, Worthing, and Houston Math and Science Technology high schools.

Funds will provide staffing, tutoring, training, workshops, materials, field trips, and other learning experiences. HCC Associate Dean LaTonya Brown, Ed.D. is the grant’s principal investigator, along with co-principal investigator, HCC Central Dean of Student Services Stacy Welcome, Ph.D.

Upward Bound is a unit of HCC’s Student Services division. The program provides academic, social, and financial support to high school students to prepare them for college enrollment and completion. Services are provided during the week at the student’s high school and on Saturdays at HCC Central.

For more information, contact Dr. LaTonya Brown at latonya.brown@hccs.edu or at 713.718.6353. To enroll in any HCC program, go to hccs.edu/apply.