Boulder, CO – The University of Colorado at Boulder’s Upward Bound Program receives
funding for five years through the U.S. Department of Education. CU Upward Bound (CUUB), a
federally funded TRiO program, was formed in 1981.
According to the program’s current Director, Tanaya Winder: “This five-year grant award from
the Department of Education means we will be able to continue serving Native youth from
various reservations across Indian Country. Our students will be able to take advantage of this
unique opportunity to supplement their education and to grow personally on the CU Boulder
campus. CUUB is a gift.”
Throughout the grant period, CUUB will be able to serve approximately 103 students annually
from 12 high schools in targeted areas located on or near 6 major Native American reservations
or communities: the Navajo reservation, Pine Ridge reservation, Ramah Navajo community, the
Ute Mountain Ute community, Southern Ute reservation, and Jemez Pueblo. Eligible students
must be enrolled in grades 9-11, reside within the target areas, and must either meet federal
low-income guidelines, be potential first generation college students, or both.
CUUB recognizes that Native American youth remain the single most underrepresented
racial/ethnic group in postsecondary education, and they remain gravely underserved in high
school. According to NCES data, in 2014-15, Native students accounted for only 0.6% of all
bachelor’s degrees conferred to US citizens. Through its unique, innovative programming and
pedagogy, CUUB has been working to change this narrative for over 30 years. CUUB’s vision is
to inspire and empower students to succeed, and to celebrate their cultural identities in whatever
postsecondary path they chose.
The unique mission of the CUUB program, beyond that of a typical Upward Bound program, is
threefold:
● Challenge students to embrace the rigors of critical thinking and content mastery in a
college environment that is both geographically and culturally distant from their
reservation communities
● Protect the cultural identities of its students through its emphasis on cultural knowledge
and empowerment in the classroom
● Connect with real-world indigenous issues to demonstrate what is at for students stake
beyond the classroom.
For more information on CUUB please visit http://www.colorado.edu/cuub, or contact the
offices at 303-492-6134 or via email at studentscatchingdreams@gmail.com