Telegraph Staff Writer
Kania Paulas knows what it’s like to grow up in a small, rural area and attempt to become the first family member to go to college, so she believes she has a great opportunity to help students follow in her footsteps as the new academic coach with Upward Bound, Santa Fe College program offered free to Bradford High School students.
“I’m hoping to give these students some tips and tricks I learned along the way,” Paulas said.
Upward Bound is a part of the U.S. Department of Education’s TRIO program, which is designed to provide assistance to students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Upward Bound accepts students that are potentially first-generation college students and whose families meet income requirements set by the U.S. Department of Education.
Students receive information on how to complete college applications and resumes. They attend college fairs and tour college campuses. They learn professional etiquette.
The program also helps students experience academic success while in high school through tutoring and Saturday morning sessions at the Santa Fe College Andrews Center. Thomas said the Saturday sessions provide instruction in English, math, science and, sometimes, a foreign language.
Upward Bound provides work-study opportunities, placing students in local businesses, as well as a six-week summer session.
Participants can also earn stipends if they meet certain requirements for things like academic success.
The end goal of it all is to help students go to college.
Though Paulas successfully graduated from college, she said she made a lot of mistakes along the way. She said she would’ve benefitted if she had participated in Upward Bound as a high school student.
“My life would’ve been totally different if I had an academic coach pushing me,” Paulas said.
Making a college education happen
Paulas’ parents were professionals before emigrating to the U.S. from Haiti and Trinidad and Tobago. When the family lived in New York City, Paulas’ father worked in real estate, while her mother worked as a legal aide.
Her parents had no concept of the college-education system in the U.S. and didn’t understand all that went into high school students trying to obtain scholarships and take advantage of opportunities to help them go to college.
Also, her parents expected certain things of her, such as being available to take care of her siblings and to spend time working as opposed to setting aside time to study and fulfill other educational obligations.
Someone growing up in Bradford County may not experience the exact same things she did in her household, but they may have to deal with parents who don’t understand that their children have to make certain commitments in an effort to keep up their grades and go to college.
Paulas said it’s basically finding the right balance of doing what you need to do, while still respecting your parents.
Students in Bradford may not experience the same set of circumstances in regard to their parents as Paulas did, but they’re growing up in a similar environment. Paulas lived in Newberry, so she knows what rural life is like in this part of the state.
“I think I can relate and connect to a lot of the students,” she said.
Paulas knows what it’s like to live somewhere where accessing the internet isn’t easy or where, perhaps, a person has to handle a great amount of peer pressure that comes about from trying to devote time to studying and making good grades. Paulas said she too often had classmates ask her why she didn’t just enjoy her high-school years.
“I was making all ‘A’s,” she said, “but at the time, all of my friends were not very encouraging. I was kind of like the smart kid — too smart.”
Paulas didn’t deny herself the joy of her high-school years and participated in extracurricular activities such as volleyball and weightlifting. Still, education was a priority. She wasn’t content to make all “A”s at Newberry High School, so she dual-enrolled, taking college classes as well.
“I knew from a young age that education was a way out,” Paulas said. “I come from a family of five kids. I’m in the middle. I just wanted to leave.”
At that point in her life, Paulas didn’t want to remain close to Newberry, so when she was accepted into the University of Central Florida, she moved to Orlando to continue her education.
College life and living on her own in a dorm proved to be an eye-opener. Paulas was responsible for buying her own supplies and food, so she had to learn how to live on a budget. She was having to learn the time-management skills that are so vital to succeeding in college.
Paulas also found herself intimidated. To her, everyone else on campus appeared to know what they were doing and were succeeding. Paulas, meanwhile, was struggling in some of her classes and struggling with what she wanted to major in.
“I was so afraid and, I think, embarrassed those first three years in college to ask for help,” Paulas said.
She finally saw an academic adviser, who proved to be of tremendous help.
Paulas, like any first-generation college student, would’ve benefited from some guidance before going to college, receiving advice on how to create a budget, practicing time-management skills and knowing that college campuses have advisers and others who are there to help.
Upward Bound was available to her as a student at Newberry High School. Again, it was her parents’ lack of knowledge in regard to the education system in the U.S. and the helps provided to students that kept her from enrolling.
Paulas’ goal is for parents in Bradford County to be aware of Upward Bound.
“Now that I’m the academic coach, I want to be a little more transparent and open in the community so that parents who don’t know what Upward Bound is really get an understanding of what it is,” she said.
A bridge from high school to college
BHS students in grades 9-11 are eligible to apply for Upward Bound. Program Coordinator Yolanda Thomas, in a 2018 Telegraph-Times-Monitor interview, said, “If a student comes in as a freshman, our goal is to have them graduate out of the program as a senior and transition onto the ultimate goal, which is the college of their choice.”
As academic coach, Paulas said she views herself as the “go-between,” the person who helps students make that journey from high school to college. She said that role is “very fun for me,” but it’s also a pivotal role that allows her to do things that classroom teachers can’t.
“I love that I can be an extra help to teachers,” Paulas said, adding, “Teachers already have enough on their plate. If I can take that burden (off them) and just focus on the transition (from high school to college) portion, I know our education system will be great.”
Paulus meets with students on Tuesdays and Thursdays at BHS and also interacts with them during Saturday academic sessions at the Andrews Center. She tries to touch base with Upward Bound participants daily, making use of social media.
“I know it’s about 60 students, but I really am involved in their lives and want to make sure they’re on some kind of track,” Paulas said.
Yes, Paulas has a goal of being the person who can help students academically, inform them of grants and scholarships, and give them an idea of what awaits them in college, but those things make up only part of the overall reward of working in Upward Bound. She enjoys getting to know the whole student.
“My heart is just open with so much joy when I see the students and hear them and watch them grow,” Paulas said.
In the process, Paulas wants to encourage students to get to know themselves.
Who are you?
When Paulas was at UCF, she not only had to deal with learning how to become a successful college student. She had to come to terms with who she was and what she wanted out of life.
She first went to school seeking a career that wasn’t her choice.
“At first, I wanted to be a pediatrician,” Paulas said. “My mother is a registered nurse practitioner. I have other people in my family who I saw working in the medical field.”
Paulas said she felt pressured to go into the medical field, though she discovered she didn’t like the sight of blood. Witnessing an infant undergo a procedure left her crying and wondering how she could work in such a career.
What followed was a series of changes in her major.
“My experience in college was, I would say, self-discovery,” Paulas said.
What it came down to was Paulas figuring out her purpose. She already had experience working with children, first at O2B Kids in Gainesville when she was in high school and then at several daycares in Orlando while attending UCF.
“I was doing very well,” Paulas said. “Parents were giving me kudos. I was getting promotions and trainings.”
Thus, Paulas decided upon majoring in Elementary Education. Her grades improved, and she began making all “A”s, just like she did in high school. After earning her bachelor’s degree, she went to work on earning a master’s in Educational Leadership at UCF while teaching at Orlando’s Maynard Evans High School.
Paulas eventually returned to this part of the state, where she had the opportunity to be a principal at a small, private school in Gainesville for three years before she “jumped at the opportunity” to work more directly with children as part of Upward Bound.
If her experience can show young people anything, it’s that they have to come to realize what it is they want to do in life, not what others want them to do. Her advice is to devote some quiet time, away from the “noise” of your environment, and determine what your purpose is.
“Make sure you get hold of what your dream is,” Paulas said. “I try to focus on that with my students now. What are you good at? If there was something that you could do for free in this world if money wasn’t an issue, what would it be? What are your natural talents?
“I try to put them in experiences where they can explore that a little bit more.”
More details about Upward Bound can be found online at sfcollege.edu/studentaffairs. Click on the Departments link, the TRIO Programs link and then the Upward Bound link. You can apply online as well.
Also, you may visit the Andrews Center for more information or to obtain application forms, or contact Paulas 352-395-4467, [email protected]) Coordinator Yolanda Thomas (352-395-4466, [email protected]) or Administrative Assistant Melisa Clark (352-395-4464, [email protected]).
