My Three Year Experience With TRIO: Upward Bound/Upward Bound Math Science
Samantha Oliva
My Third Year
Summer 2020
My last year was definitely a different experience!
Education
Right from the start I knew this year would be the hardest. I am not the greatest person at using technology, so it was very hard to get used to, but there were tech helpers who were always trying their best to fix our problems. They gave us all the tools we needed; chromebooks, hotspot, paper, pencils, etc. Since the program was online, the number of classes was reduced. I could only take one class. Out of my few options, I took Integrated STEM 2. It was a mix of calculus and stem. We were also given a robotics kit for this class. I learned some coding and worked on cool experiments. For example, we worked on a circuit board, made a motor using simple objects like a battery and a small magnet, and we also built a car out of milk lids and popsicle sticks. It was a hard class, but I was able to learn a lot of new things. For another part of our class, we were able to get ACT prep and check out some virtual jobs and colleges. It was not the experience I thought I was going to get, but it was still a great opportunity!
Online Experience
The dorm experience and the online experience were very different! We didn't get to decorate a dorm or be on a floor with friends, but we still had our screens which was like a little view of everyone's personality. My favorite part about online school was that I didn't have to get ready if I didn't want to. (it was GREAT)
Even though we didn't stay on the campus, they still wanted to give us a meal plan. They gave us $300 worth of Subway cards, so we could get a meal every day for six weeks. It was very generous of them!
I would choose the dorm life over the virtual life, but it was interesting to be apart of the first virtual TRIO UB/UBMS program.
Activities
Because we had to do the program virtually, many things were off limits. However, that didn't stop us from having fun. The awesome staff still found ways to do hands on activities. They sent us kits to tie-dye and another kit to make cookies. (as shown above the very fun and creative cookies) We played online games together, joined in A LOT of kahoots, made A LOT of flipgrids, and overall we really got to see small clips of everyone's daily lives. Some would come to class eating their favorite snack, others would be with their siblings, or some people would have cool backgrounds.
Environment
Although the program was online, I was still able to feel the same energy from my peers. My mentor was such a bubbly person and she always made sure to ask me and my classmates if we needed any sort of help. We were still able to interact with each other, even if it was virtually. I met some great people with mettle mindsets who made the best out of the situation! The advisors and mentors really gave it their all to make sure we still enjoyed our summer. A big thanks to them!