Arizona Upward Bound/TRiO

10/01/2026

Upward Bound Alum🤩

Iliana Semalulucut Amador , graduated from Pueblo High School in 2023 . Iliana has just graduated in May 2026 from The University of Arizona with a B.A. in journalism! During her time at the university, Iliana was a part of Native SOAR where she mentored native American high school students in Tucson!

While attending Pueblo High School and as an Upward Bound scholar she participated in Westop Arizona ‘s 2023 Student Leadership Conference and UA Take Charge Cats ‘s 2023 Financial Face-off Competition! Iliana graduated from the University of Arizona one year early, and is now looking forward towards her master program!⭐️🎓

Here is what motivated her all throughout the last three years in college!⭐️

“What motivated me the last 3 years was my family and my own personal goals. I was determined to graduate no matter how hard It got because of my family and all of their sacrifices!”

09/10/2026

9 Years of UB Scholars and Staff🎓☀️
We kicked off our 1st Saturday Academy, our students and families welcomed our new undergraduate team!💙🐻⬇️

08/24/2026

🎓Graduating Staff 🐻⬇️

We want to congratulate Upward Bound Coordinator Camila Armenta! She graduated this last semester with her Masters of Business Administration through Eller College of Management! Over the last two years, Camila was taking off every Tuesday from 4PM to 10PM, working on her masters while still being the best mentor to our UB Scholars. If you didn’t know, Camila used to work for the UB program back when she was still in college as a mentor and our 1st student coordinator!

Here is Camila’s advice to all our UB scholars!⭐️

Don’t be afraid to try something that takes “too much time” or “too much effort”. Time will pass by regardless of what you do and you will thank yourself for a time well spent!


trioworks

08/20/2026

🎓Graduating Staff 🐻⬇️

We want to congratulate Upward Bound mentor and assistant, Salomon “Sam” Armenta! Graduating from the College of Engineering with a bachelors of science in Engineering Management and a minor in mechanical engineering. From mentoring first year UB Scholars, tutoring students on calculus, to supporting managing the program; Sam did a bit of everything during his 3 years with us. He was every scholar’s big brother, and if you didn’t know he is also Camila’s littler brother!
Sam, thank you for all the support, hours, and love you poured into every part of the program.

Here is Sam’s advice to all our UB scholars!⭐️

“It’s take a lot of grit to graduate so no matter what you do, keep holding on, keep on struggling. Keep on moving - no matter how tired you are. Time will pass by anyways, make the most of what you have!”

08/05/2026

🎓Graduating Staff 🐻⬇️

We want to congratulate Upward Bound mentor and student coordinator, Andres Eusebio! Graduating from Eller College of Management with a bachelors of science in Business Management and from the college of humanities with a 2nd bachelors in Spanish. Andres is also an Upward Bound Alumni, graduating from Cholla High School in 2021. Thank you for all your hard work, dedication, and love that you’ve been putting into the program over the last few years. From playing soccer at Cholla, to many UB workshop and office hours , and to his Eller Case competition - Andres will always be himself in every space he enters. Andy, we see you and we are endlessly proud of you🤍🎓

Here is Andres’s advice to all our UB scholars!⭐️

“Always keep going and remember why you started. Even if failure is a barrier in your path don’t give up it’s not the end and try to try it again. Know that time will always keep going, college will fly by so quickly, so make the most of it!”

07/23/2026

Exploring Arizona, one wonder at a time! 🌄🔬💛

07/21/2026

Here’s to an unforgettable summer and to our scholars, team, and community who made it so special! ☀️💫

04/21/2026

Congratulations to our very own Upward Bound scholar, Max! ⭐️

One of Pueblo High School's College Prep Academy seniors, Maximo Jimenez Lugo, received notification yesterday that he is one of the recipients of the full-ride Gates Millennium Scholarship! Out of 61,000 applicants, only 750 received this amazing scholarship. With this opportunity, Maximo is on track to graduate from the University of Michigan debt-free! To put the scholarship into perspective, it is more difficult to receive the Gates Millennium Scholarship than it is to get into an Ivy League School.
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04/01/2026

Our Upward Bound scholars took on escape rooms AND random challenges with their groups, and this one? Take pictures… but make it chaotic, creative, and silly.

The teamwork? Elite.
The poses? Perfection.
The memories? 10/10 💛