My letter to my Congressman urging him to save Upward Bound

Dear Congressman,

I know you are busy, so here's my short story:

I read that in Bush's proposed 2006 budget the Upward Bound Program will be totally cancelled. I am urging you to PLEASE not allow this to stand. Do not let Bush cancel the Upward Bound program, it has helped too many disadvantaged high schoolers attend college. How do I know? I am a graduate of the Upward Bound program, and without the program I would not have gone to college and have the great life I now enjoy.

Here's my long story (if you have a few more minutes):

I grew up in a small rural village. I think I was a smart kid, I always tested in the top percentile at school. But when it came to college I was clueless. I lived in a rural area, my mother had only graduated High School and my father didn't even get that far. My parents didn't earn much, so I worked at McDonalds in high school for my spending money. No one in my family had any idea of the general system involved in going to college, and my High School advisors were less than helpful.

That's when my mom enrolled me in the Upward Bound program. Thank God she did. The summer classes taught me skills I would need in college, like how to write a REAL essay, how to get a great score on the SAT, and math skills. Also, the program took place on an actual college campus, so I became familiarized with college life and the process.

When it came time to apply to college the Program leader BA explained to me what to look for in a good school, and what I would need to to do apply for college AND financial aid. It's so complicated that I really needed lots of help and advice from him, and he was always there for me. I went through the process, got into several fine schools, and eventually selected [California School with good film program] as my first choice because of the Film program there.

When [California School with good film program] didn't give me enough financial aid for me to be able to attend, it was not either of my parents but BA who called up the school for me and convinced them to give me an additional $5,000. That $5,000 may not seem like much to you, but it made the difference between being able to go or not go to college for me. I actually am tearing up as I write this because BA was so instrumental in my life.

I went to [California school with good film program], graduated in 2000, and now I am working in television. I am doing exactly what I wanted to do with my life, making good money, and I am a very happy and productive member of society who tries to give back whenever I can.

Without the Upward Bound program I don't know where my life would be now. Maybe I would still be working at McDonalds. I urge you to Please not allow Bush to take this program away from the thousands of other high school students it benefits every year. These students areonly trying to better themselves through education, and this program is the "leg up" many of them need to achieve their goals. If there's anything else I could say or do to convince you that Upward Bound is worthwile, please call me and I would be glad to answer any of your questions.

Best regards,

Genetic Mishap