“UPO’s P.O.W.E.R. program means a lot to me. It broadens your horizons to new experiences. UPO teaches you that college is for everyone, regardless of your financial need, where you come from, or your zip code. P.O.W.E.R. is a mentoring program so we learn different things from different people. They always have a lot of people come and talk to us about things that they’ve experienced in life and how they were able to overcome them…because they wanted to be more than where they came from.”
Like many of our program participants, Lanique has a rich history with UPO. At age 12, she joined the inaugural group of P.O.W.E.R. students and stayed until her high school graduation in 2015.
Lanique just completed her first year at Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, North Carolina. Upon her return home to DC for summer break, she will be working with our Youth Services Division assisting and mentoring the next generation of academic achievers. She is UPO!
P.O.W.E.R, which stands for Providing Opportunities with Educational Readiness, is an UPO educational, STEM-based enrichment program for DC students in grades 6 through 12. UPO’s belief is that education leads to a path of self-sufficiency. The P.O.W.E.R. program helps students attain the skills necessary to build a future for themselves and go into the world of higher education with confidence and equipped with skills to succeed.
