Pima Community College has received nearly $1.5 million from the U.S. Department of Education (ED) to 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 goal of the program is to offer academic tutoring and mentoring; help choosing high school and college courses; help with applying for financial aid; counseling for returning to high school, alternative education programs and entering college; and financial literacy education.
The area served by the three schools covers parts of the Tohono O’odham Nation and the Pascua Yaqui Indian Reservation. 84% of the area’s residents are Hispanic, with more than 42% of families having incomes below 150% of the poverty level. And less than 10% of high school graduates here earn a degree within six years of graduation.
