For nearly 60 years, UVA’s Upward Bound — later rebranded as Uplift@UVa — has been transformative for first-generation college students and families with limited incomes to help prepare them for higher education. Marquan Jones, a 2019 graduate of the program, credits it with giving him the confidence and skills to thrive in college and beyond.
“It wasn’t just about academics,” he reflects in Vinegar Hill Magazine, “it was about learning who I was and building a community that believed in me.”
Now, UVA has discontinued Uplift@UVa, citing budget and enrollment challenges. While the university points to other programs supporting local youth, the closure is a heavy loss for a community that has relied on the program for decades.
Jones’ story is part of First Person Charlottesville, a program of Charlottesville Inclusive Media, a partnership between Vinegar Hill Magazine, the In My Humble Opinion radio show and Charlottesville Tomorrow.
Read about his experience in Vinegar Hill Magazine.
Subscribers to the Daily Progress can read more about the discontinuation of the program here.
More local News
‘Can I Talk to you Cville’ wants to hear from Charlottesville’s young people
A Nov. 14 event encourages residents in grades 6-12 to have discussions about their future and topics that matter most to them.
Most central Virginia counties voted down a local sales tax for new school construction
“We’re not done trying to get this to pass,” said Kelly Greer, member of the Greene County School Board. “We’re allowed to have it on a future ballot and so that’s what we’re going to do.”
Albemarle County School Board to host two more town halls in early November
The meetings follow the arrests of two ACPS administrators and a former principal for failure to report child abuse.
Judge dismisses most claims in UVA Health lawsuit, allows others alleging workplace retaliation to proceed
The ruling comes a year after the lawsuit was filed and nearly two years after UVA Health faculty raised concerns about patient safety, workplace retaliation and leadership practices.
Local election officials unfazed by Justice Department monitoring surge
While the DOJ plans to send 1,000 monitors to the polls, including four in Charlottesville, election officials say monitoring is a routine occurrence that they are well prepared to handle.
