“They really just helped me out overall and ensured I made a decision I was in love with and I was okay with,” Sunset Alum, Jackelyn Ortiz
Helping others and pushing them to
achieve their goals has always been Jackelyn Ortiz’s passion. With the support of the LNESC Upward Bound program, Jackelyn’s dream of assisting people will becoming true as she plans to Texas State University with an emphasis on Exercise Medicine and Science.
“Eventually I want to work for a sports team, work for a clinic and open my own clinic,” Sunset Alum Jackelyn Ortiz said. “Studying sports medicine will allow me to help others achieve their goals.”
Jackelyn’s love and passion for sports medicine began at a very young age. When the future Latina Leader was very young, she took great care of her grandparents and obtained a lot of exposure to the medical community.
“Growing up, I took care of my diabetic grandparents. I learned medical terms at a young and first taught my grandma how to do her insulin injections,” Ortiz said. “I gained a lot of background knowledge from that experience and it gave me a perspective of medicine.”
While the family exposure played a significant role for Jackelyn and her dreams, another familia soon assisted her in turning her “dreams into a reality.” Upward Bound first came into the future Texas State student’s life during her sophomore year of high school.
“They were amazing. There are millions of things they did for me,” Ortiz said.
Upward Bound’s key mission is to help students like Jackelyn, accomplish their dreams and succeed in their educational careers. (lnescdallas.org) One of the things they focus on is ensuring their students college application process and transition is as smooth as it can.
“They would introduce me to someone who went to the university, helped me with what materials I needed, and they helped me build my portfolio,” Jackelyn said.
Another way Upward Bound helps students is through financial assistance. “They ensure the issue wasn’t financial aid and helped me look at scholarships,” Ortiz said. Because of their tremendous assistance, Jackelyn received a $2,000 scholarship from the Dell Scholars Foundation.
“I’m a dell scholar, so they helped me out with that and networking with someone who was a dell scholar.” Ortiz said.
One thing the program the program does is target students’ progress throughout their high school career. The goal is to eradicate any struggles students may face, so those do not become future obstacles in the future. “They were helpful in making sure my grades were up and attendance was good,” Ortiz said.
For the Ortiz, the family aspect is what makes Upward Bound stand out against the rest. “It’s incredible with how much they help you with and how much they do know. And all the people that they hire, all my advisors have been so amazing there,” Ortiz said. “We were very close knit, they were willingly to help us with where we are or anything at home.”
Without Upward Bound, Jackelyn believe the college process, “would have been a lot harder” and she, “would have not known what to do,” in terms of financial assistance, applications and any other supporting materials.
With Texas State in her rear-view mirror, the Sunset graduate is ready for whatever obstacles college may throw at her. She truly believes Upward Bound has provided her with the necessary resources needed to succeed in life post high school.
“College now looks more manageable from everything that I’ve learned through Upward Bound, the Saturdays we’ve had together has made it become more manageable and partially I’m not scared of the actual classwork, I feel like once I get there, I am going to get headset,” Ortiz said.
If there is anything Jackelyn would love to say to the Upward Bound program it is: “I’m thankful for everything they have provided for me in setting me up for success and their passion to help us as well.”