Opening Doors
Josh Bernardino, a junior at Topeka High School, envisions himself as a college graduate with a degree in both business management and computer science, perhaps one day owning his own business. Having moved to the United States when he was seven years old, Josh has grown from participating in a middle school robotics program to declaring Advanced Placement (AP) Physics as his favorite class in high school. To help Josh expand his educational interests, he, fortunately, has access to a program specifically designed to help him explore college and career options within the science and technology field.
The University of Kansas TRIO Math & Science Center (MSC) is an Upward Bound program designed to help first-generation and low-income students, like Josh, recognize their potential to excel in math and science. MSC provides year-round advising, exposure to university faculty members during college visits, and a summer program with intensive math and science components, which prepared Josh for rigorous coursework.
During a six-week residential MSC summer camp experience held at the University of Kansas, Josh took a trigonometry class which gave him the opportunity to get familiar with information and concepts that made learning easier when he returned to high school in the fall. “It gave me some background information and I knew what I was doing… I’m usually the one always asking questions so it was nice to see that I already knew some of the stuff and I got familiarized with it easier.” This experience allowed Josh to be a leader in the classroom by helping classmates who are seeing the content for the first time.
While he excels at math, Josh says he enjoys science the most, particularly his AP Physics class, because “it is challenging but it makes me think outside the box.” In a similar way, he explained, his involvement with MSC “opened me up to a lot of things I had never thought about.” One of those things was the opportunity to visit Boston, Massachusetts where TRIO students toured the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Northeastern University, two colleges that Josh had never thought to pursue.
“The goal for me is to get as much information about college before I’m a senior and get ready to apply.” One of the ways Josh is getting ready is by preparing for the ACT. Josh said he has come to appreciate the ACT prep course offered during the MSC summer camp. Josh’s biggest worry while preparing for college is getting a good score on the ACT. The prep course, he said, provided him with tips and tricks for taking the test and, in turn, boosted his score making him a more competitive candidate for colleges.
When Josh goes to college he will be a first-generation college student; his parents and older siblings have some college experience, but Josh plans to be the first in his family to earn a bachelor’s degree. “Getting a college degree will not just help me out in the future but it will open some doors to help me figure out what I want to do in life!” Josh exclaimed.
