TIFTON — Thanks to $3.5 million worth of support from the United States Department of Education, Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College will help more students graduate from high school and enroll in college in years to come, college officials said.

Scott Pierce, ABAC director of sponsored programs, said the two new five-year grants from the Office of Postsecondary Education will provide support for 139 students per year through the Upward Bound program.

The program has been a vital part of ABAC and surrounding communities since 1977, motivating students to succeed for almost 45 years, college officials said in a statement.

Upward Bound helps students get into college by providing tutoring, Saturday sessions to help with college readiness, a five-week college “simulation experience” in the summer for students in grades 9-12, cultural trips and a summer bridge program for graduating seniors to get them ready for their first year in college.

ABAC’s Upward Bound program operates in Atkinson, Ben Hill, Coffee, Irwin, Tift, Turner, Wilcox and Worth counties.

Pierce said the programs are an essential part of ABAC’s undergraduate mission.

“Nationwide, Upward Bound helps about 60,000 students a year,” Pierce said. “Our two new grants come in at a little under $700,000 a year. That’s a real commitment from the Department of Education to our area. It’s a very important program for us here in rural Georgia, especially in homes where neither parent pursued education beyond high school.

“Sometimes college just isn’t on the radar. It may seem out of reach. Upward Bound lets high school students see and experience higher ed. Once you get a sense of what it’s about, it seems more doable.”

Upward Bound student Kailyn Reed said, “Upward Bound has not only helped me with my academic classes but it has also helped me to grow into a better person and connect with different people from surrounding counties. Upward Bound has definitely helped me better prepare for the future. I’m so glad I joined this program.”

ABAC’s Upward Bound projects are funded by grants P047A220876 and P047A220878.

For more information on becoming a part of Upward Bound, contact Sonya Alexander at salexander@abac.edu or (229) 391-5144.