IWU to Host Upward Bound Olympiad Leadership Conference

Indiana Wesleyan University will host the 2019 Upward Bound Olympiad and Leadership Conference on Thursday and Friday. More than 400 middle school and high school students statewide will attend the conference in Marion.
 
Participating students will compete in basketball, volleyball and other sports, as well as debate, quiz bowl and mathletics. 

Attendees will also participate in a leadership development conference with keynote speaker Ellis Dumas III, regional director of Indiana Department of Child Services, who is a former Upward Bound participant. 

The Upward Bound Program offers college-readiness services to participants. Upward Bound serves students from low-income families, potential first-generation college students and students who have a higher risk of academic failure.

“We are thrilled about the rare opportunity for IWU to host this conference as well as the chance to share our heart for these students,” said Shelly Curtis, director of Upward Bound at IWU in a news release. “Our older Upward Bound students get to step up and take leadership roles, which is great to see. And, all of us are looking forward to the fun that happens when all these groups get together.”