Alumni

Alumni Spotlight

Liliana Salas

Liliana Salas immigrated to the United States at the age of 10 in pursuit of the American Dream. She and her family settled in Holland, Michigan, where they worked as migrant and seasonal farmworkers. Lily was fortunate to enter the school system instead of working in the fields. She learned English in less than a year to help her family communicate. From then on, she spent her time in Michigan, Tennessee and Mexico as she migrated with her family. She also spent most of her summers picking blueberries as a teenager.

Lily has led the Western Michigan University College Assistance Migrant Program (WMU CAMP) for over three years. She is a First Year Experience instructor at WMU for incoming CAMP students. Prior to coming to WMU she spent a few years as a college counselor for a public, high-functioning school in South Texas where she worked with high school students and families through the college application and enrollment process. Liliana also worked at Michigan State University for several years. Her expertise lies in college access for first-generation underrepresented students as well as in migrant and seasonal farmworkers and their experiences in higher education. Outside of school and her profession, Lily loves spending time with her two children and husband.

Lily is an educator who strongly believes in the power of higher education. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in psychology with high honors and an MSW from Michigan State University. Additionally, Lily earned a graduate certificate in Higher Education and Student Affairs (HESA) from Western Michigan University where she is currently a second-year doctoral student in the Higher Education Leadership program. Lily is also a founding member of Empowering Latina Leaders and Advocates for Success (ELLAS), a local Latina leadership organization.

Alumni Profiles

Norfillia Ramirez-Hamilton 

“The summer I attended Upward Bound was one of the best summers of my life. Up to that point, I had no direction and really had no idea I could attend college and succeed. Programs like these are necessary to motivate and nurture kids from all walks of life.”

• UB/Fennville Class of 1968
• MSW, Grand Valley State University

Joe Guzman

“When I had trouble with homework before UB, no one was there to help me, and I would just give up after a while. Then I joined UB, and a tutor was always an arms length away to tap on my shoulder to help me. UB changed my whole mindset about education. Before I joined UB I pretty much hated school. College was a place only the smart and rich went to. I had no idea what people did there. I just knew of the name to be honest, and I didn't ask questions (ever). But now college is a place I’m attending to come that much closer to a degree and my dream career.”

• UB/Holland High School Class of 2013
• Grand Rapids Community College

Caroline Sanchez

“The UB experience had a lot of influence on my education because I always wanted to be like my UB mentors. I thank UB for instilling in me values and the importance of education. I know I can share that with others. If not for UB, I probably would not have gone on to college; UB had a great impact on my life.”

• UB/Holland High School Class of 1998
• B.A., social work, University of Puerto Rico in Humacao

Felix Berdecia

“Upward Bound has played a significant role in my education and life’s journey. Looking back, I’m honored to have had the opportunity to be part of an organization which thrives on helping others pursue their educational goals. Initially, I came to Upward Bound with the mentality of simply wanting to graduate and look for work. While participating in the program, I gained ambition as well as access to resources which enabled me to earn my high school diploma and a chance at a college education. For the first time, I began to consider continuing my education. However, due to certain obstacles in my life, I had to put my dream on hold. Fast forward twenty-plus years, I am now married with a wonderful family. I am pursuing my goal of earning a college degree and with only one year left, my dream is finally becoming a reality. Although it has taken me a bit longer than others, without the ambition that was installed in me while attending Upward Bound, I would have not held on to my goal of finishing college. I hope the program continues to impact the lives of students, as it did mine, for years to come.”

• UB/Holland High Class of 1990
• Davenport University

Guillermo Martinez

"UB helped us to be ready to come out of our comfort zones and be involved, be part of change. Our educational journey (through UB) includes growing academically, socially, culturally and spiritually. We have to have a balance of these to be strong.”

• UB/ Fennville High School Class of 1970
• Associate’s degree, Kalamazoo Valley Community College

Victor Nguyen

“Upward Bound helped me understand the college application process and provided numerous opportunities to visit colleges which assisted me in choosing the right school and program for me. Through the UB summer programs, I also gained the skills to be an independent college student that learned to balance my time between social and academia. I recently finished my Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) and am still continuing further education through a fellowship program down in Tampa, Florida, where I'm working as a health economics consultant to pharmaceutical companies and pursuing a master‘s degree in applied pharmacoeconomics." 

• UB/West Ottawa High School Class of 2008
• B.S., biomedical sciences and B.A., economics, Western Michigan University
• Pharm.D., pharmacy, Wayne State University