Two students from the TRIO Upward Bound Math and Science program at Northeastern Illinois University’s Center for College Access and Success (CCAS) have been invited to attend first lady Michelle Obama’s “Beating the Odds” summit on July 19 in Washington, D.C.
Oswaldo Cortes and Karla Gonzalez will be accompanied at the event by Aaron Cortes, director of the TRIO Upward Bound Math and Science and 21st CCLC Pathways programs at CCAS.
The “Beating the Odds” summit, which was founded in 2015, is part of Michelle Obama’s Reach Higher initiative. The summit focuses on sharing tools and strategies to help more students successfully transition to college and complete the next level of their education. More than 130 college-bound students from across the country participated in 2015.
Cortes and Gonzalez are first-generation college-bound students and have been part of TRIO UBMS program since the start of their freshman year in high school.
Cortes graduated summa cum laude from Morton East High School and will attend Grinnel College in Iowa this fall. Gonzalez was a member of the Spanish Honor Society and part of various clubs at Morton East. She plans to attend Triton College this fall and later transfer to Northeastern.
