UNH’S Upward Bound Students Explore Career Options

Contact: Samantha Paquette
Phone number: (603) 862-1460
UNH Media Relations

August 5, 2004



DURHAM, N.H. -- Find a job that makes you happy was the message that 18 professional people tried to impart to some 90 University of New Hampshire Upward Bound students attending a Career Exposition Day recently.

Professionals from eight seacoast communities, including Durham, Manchester, Dover, Rochester, Portsmouth, Eliot, Kittery, and South Berwick, were represented at the meeting, which was held at the Elliott Alumni Center. The purpose of the workshop was for the students to learn about a variety of careers and the value of earning and obtaining a college degree.

UNH Upward Bound is a federal program, funded by the U.S. Department of Education. Potential college bound students from 11 different high schools in New Hampshire were selected from low-income families whose parents have not necessarily earned a bachelor’s degree.

“When you get up in the morning, and you’re 30 or 40 years old, are you going to work because you want to be there, or are you going just because it’s work?” was a question posed by Paul Goransson, president of Meetinghouse Data Communications. He stressed the importance of self-gratification in a desired career. “It’s important to love what you do and find what interests you.”

Some participants reiterated this message of pursing a career that brings happiness, while others, such as Susan Poulin, the writer/actress of Poolyle Productions, encouraged students to“come up with a personal definition of success.” But overall, the 18 presenters emphasized the importance of higher education in guiding young people into a satisfying career path.

Overseeing the workshop were Dan Gordon, director of Upward Bound at UNH, and educational program coordinators Mary Jo Madden and Diane Proulx. Focused on “the importance for young people to see the possibilities for their future,” Proulx expressed the need for students to arrive at a place where they can “see all of the opportunities that are out there, as opposed to the careers they’re exposed to everyday.”

Madden placed great emphasis on the kindness of the volunteers. “So many people in the community donated their time to the students. It’s a great opportunity for students to explore the careers they’re interested in.”

Gordon expressed appreciation from Upward Bound toward the “18 professional people (who) took time out of their lives to come here. We appreciate them all for rearranging their schedules to be with us. The program complements the work they do in the classroom. We help the students gain the skills and motivation needed for success in high school and college. The career program gives them a wide variety of possible careers to set their sites on.”

For more information contact Erika Mantz in UNH Media Relations at (603) 862-1567 or erika.mantz@unh.edu

Participants include: Larry Brickner-Wood, Julia Sinclair, Erika Mantz, Mohamed Hamcha, Mark Feltz, Matthew Allen, Dassie Ramsay, Michael Modern, Christopher Gowell, Paul Goransson, Chris Hall, Lisa Bonci, Rachel Hamilton, Susan Poulin, Rick Pickford, Suzanne Guiod, David Williams.