Students representing area high schools made their way to the Capitol in Madison recently.

Nine students from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (UWSP) Upward Bound program traveled to Madison as part of a larger, statewide effort by the Wisconsin Association of Educational Opportunity Program Personnel (WAEOPP). At the Capitol they shared with legislators the many accomplishments of this federal program and how state support for post secondary grant opportunities such as WHEG (Wisconsin Higher Education Grants) also provides learning opportunities for low income or first generation students.

According to Henry Wojnicki, director of the Upward Bound program, students not only learned about the legislative process but also shared their experiences with area legislators and their staffs. The students visited the offices of Senators Lassa, Decker and Breske, as well as the offices of Representatives Petrowski, Vruwink and Friske.

"This opportunity at the Capitol gave our young people firsthand experience of the legislative process and how their roles as citizens fits in to the larger mosaic of civic engagement," said Wojnicki.

Participants taking part at the Capitol were:

UWSP staff in attendance at the Capitol with Wojnicki were Judy Young, coordinator and academic adviser for Upward Bound, and Melvyn Rousseau, director of Student Support Services.

Over the past six years, 64 students have graduated from the program. Approximately 20 percent have earned a college degree with another 61 percent still enrolled in post secondary education. This year�s Upward Bound senior class is the largest in UWSP history with 18 enrolled and more than three fourths of the participants already admitted to college.

For information on the Upward Bound program, visit the Web site at www.uwsp.edu/special/upbound.

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