TUCSON, Ariz. – Today, Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva announced $297,600 for Pima Community College (PCC) to financially assist military veterans in preparation to attend and complete a postsecondary educational program or institution. The Veterans Upward Bound program provides assessment and enhancement of basic skills through counseling, mentoring, tutoring and academic instruction in core subject areas. This Veterans Upward Bound project intends to serve 125 veterans from Pima and Santa Cruz Counties in Arizona.

“It’s our responsibility to ensure that veterans have the assistance and resources they need to succeed, whether in pursuit of a degree or professional training, when they return from service,” Rep. Grijalva said. “I’m grateful for the work Pima Community College has done to assist veterans in transitioning and reintegrating back to civilian life and am pleased to see these federal funds helping Arizona veterans. We must ensure that these types of programs are readily available as our veterans begin their next chapter.”

“This Veterans Upward Bound grant will help Pima Community College prepare military veterans to enroll in postsecondary schools by developing the student’s success skills and providing tutoring, advising support, and referrals to needed community services,” said PCC Chancellor Lee Lambert. “This kind of support is critical to enabling veterans transition to civilian life and to achieve their academic goals.”

Pima and Santa Cruz Counties have a total population of 1,085,070 and more than 87,000 veterans. PCC intends to focus on selected high-need portions of the community with a high percentage of veterans as residents. In these counties, only one in five veterans ever completes a bachelor’s degree and veteran incomes lag state and national averages veteran income by as much as $14,000 per year.

More information on the grant can be found here.