Nothing Beats an In-Person Summer Fest!

After last year’s summer needing to be transitioned into a virtual program, we were so excited to host Summer Fest on Ivy Tech’s campus this year. While everything was not completely back to normal, and we did have to mask up, take extra safety precautions, and cancel our out of state Merit Trip, we were still able to travel and explore different parts of Indiana and spend time with each other!

With so many new recruits joining the Upward Bound family at the end of the 2020-2021 academic year, this summer allowed our students to get to know each other and bring that bond into the upcoming school year. With many team building activities, friendly competitions, long bus trips, and six weeks together, many connections and friendships were built.

Through this program, Upward Bound was also able to create and expand partnerships with Pink Leaf, Ball State University Admissions and School Counseling Program, Ivy Tech Community College Admissions, and TechWise who all offered great information to our students! Our students have gained skills and important knowledge that they will carry with them into their futures. 

Students also were able to experience different cultural enrichment opportunities locally and around the state, such as visiting Urban Air Trampoline Park, Hunter’s Honey Farm, Indiana Beach, Indianapolis Zoo, a live performance from Mind Tripping Show and shopping at the Circle Centre Mall. We also toured a variety of colleges including Bethel University, IU Bloomington, and Anderson University, where a lot of our new participants got their first experiences with college tours.

Of course, nothing happens without great leadership and participation from our students! We are so appreciative of our summer teachers, interns, and students as they all had great enthusiasm, adaptability, and patience. 

We look forward to making next Summer Fest even better!

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