When I received a letter announcing my acceptance into the Upward Bound program at the University of New Hampshire for that upcoming summer I was disappointed. I had applied to the program never intending to actually get accepted. I was a friendless ninth grader with a timidity that kept me on the outer edge of every social circle. The idea that someone, such as myself, would willingly pack up her belongings and head out to a college campus and program filled with about one hundred students and spend six weeks of her summer taking classes was completely ludicrous. Regardless, I did not back out of my commitments and when the date came I packed up my stuff and headed out to see my new home.

Upward Bound was a program unlike any other one I had been involved with. The people there were so open and unselfconscious; I felt I would never fit in. The program was built on the idea that only in a supportive and positive environment could people truly learn who they were. Upward Bound created just such an environment: an atmosphere that opposed put downs( called “discounts” under that No- Discount Policy). To introduce all the new people to Upward Bound there was a ceremony and for this ceremony the entire population of the Upward Bound program assembled together and held burning candles for hours as person after person stood up to tell their stories of how Upward Bound and the No-Discount Policy changed their lives. The room was filled with inspiration and the people new to Upward Bound, including myself, left wondering what it all really meant. The magic of Upward Bound and the no-discount policy did not take long to reveal itself.

The magic came in the form of freedom. It was the freedom from insults and close-mindedness that the world seems to thrive on. It was freedom from the unconfirmed judgments made by strangers. The liberation was like a drug that made it possible for people to be and do what they wanted; and it was with and because of this lack of restrictions that I shed my cocoon and set out to try out the new wings I had found.

During the six weeks I stayed at the University of New Hampshire campus with the Upward Bound program I started on the painfully long process of self-change. I discovered my weaknesses, both academically and emotionally, and, with the help of my friends and teachers, acknowledged them to develop and understand myself. I learned of mystrengths and how to use them to my benefit to find my place in the world. When I needed help in managing my time and not procrastinating, my peers and teachers assisted me in creating a schedule to budget my time until I learned to do it efficiently myself. With their help I learned that nothing could be perfect no matter how hard I tried. Finally, at Upward Bound, I learned that every person was someone all their own, including myself.

I left for Upward Bound the person the world wanted me to be and came back the person I wanted to be.