Special people give life to dreams. When a high school student dares against the odds and decides to change his or her family's situation by attending college, Kent State University's Upward Bound program is the launching pad.

Dana Lawless-Andric

For her commitment to the program and its success, Dana Lawless-Andric, director of the pre-college and TRIO Upward Bound program, received one of this year's 30 for the Future awards. The Greater Akron Chamber and LPC Publishing Company created the award to honor young professionals for their stellar professional and community endeavors.

Lawless-Andric says in her profile in the 4th annual 30 for the Future awards magazine that she helps shape Greater Akron's future by empowering young people to be educationally and socially successful, connected and civically engaged. She also emphasizes her deep commitment for social and educational access and opportunity.

"I feel very honored and have a sense of responsibility when I work with the families and students in the Upward Bound program," says Lawless-Andric, who has been part of the program for 10 years. "For me it's a very personal, professional and spiritual journey."

Upward Bound is designed to provide academic support to eligible students interested in education beyond high school. Upward Bound Programs at Kent State University are a set of federally funded TRIO pre-college initiatives designed to assist target area students who meet program criteria to successfully graduate from high school, prepare for and enter into the college of their choice. TRIO programs are designed to help students overcome, class, social, academic and cultural barriers to higher education.

Kent State is one of the only institutions in the country with three upward bound programs: math and science, classical and prep. The students involved in Upward Bound come from five area high schools, and they must apply in order to be part of the program.

Lawless-Andric said that representatives from Kent State are in the school at least two to three times a week helping students with classes, tutoring and helping families with the process of applying for and visiting colleges.

"I have been here long enough that students whom I recruited in eighth grade have graduated from college and are now in med school or grad school," says Lawless-Andric. "To see students blossom from immature crazy eighth graders into amazing young adults is a very rewarding experience."

By Rebecca Mohr