SIUE Upward Bound’s Christopher Cooper Enjoys Teaching Youth
It may appear to be a job to some, but to SIUE’s Christopher Cooper, he is operating in his “God-given” talent to serve as a mentor to youth and to help shape and mold their minds.
“It’s a joy to see the greatness in children, although they don’t usually see it in themselves,” said Cooper, program director for the SIUE TRIO Upward Bound EC/MLC Programs.
“I haven’t come across a generation of students I haven’t been able to connect with,” continued Cooper. “That is a blessing and an opportunity I don’t take for granted.”
UB, which also incorporates a Math and Science program, serves high school students from East St. Louis, SIUE East St. Louis Charter, Madison, Lovejoy and Cahokia.
Cooper began working for UB in 2018. He was promoted to director on June 3, 2022. He is responsible for the day-to-day management of the programs, ensuring that they all adhere to grant regulations. He also directs recruitment and serves as the fiscal officer of the grant.
“Overseeing three programs has been a blessing,” Cooper noted. “It has been an opportunity to grow and adapt. Over the past five years, I have learned the inner workings of grant-funded programs, and my team and I focus on ensuring that we prepare our students to get to and through college.”
“We provide services and opportunities, classes, paid trips, life skills, study habits, public speaking, resume building, and ACT/SAT prep,” Coper added, “all to make our students ‘College Ready, Career Ready and Life Ready.’”
Upward Bound programs help youth prepare for higher education and serves students from East St. Louis, Charter (EC) and Madison, Lovejoy, Cahokia (MLC) high schools. Participants receive instruction in literature, composition and STEM subjects on college campuses after school, on Saturdays and during the summer. The quality services provided will prepare the students for successful high school completion and entrance into post-secondary programs. Upward Bound is a college-preparatory program designed to serve low-income and/or potential first-generation college students who are currently in grades 9-12. Upward Bound is part of the SIUE East St. Louis Center.
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Christopher Cooper, program director for the SIUE East St. Louis Center’s East St. Louis Upward Bound (UB) EC/MLC Programs.
