Achiever Stories

Jennifer Dyke

This story appeared on the WESTOP Web from April 1-30, 2004.

Jennifer Dyke grew up where the crystalline blue snowmelt of Canyon Creek rolls out of the Trinity Alps and joins the Trinity River on its way to the Klamath River and eventually the Pacific Ocean.   In Trinity County, California, there are still no stoplights or parking meters.   There are lush forests, craggy peaks, and some people live in log houses.   You are more likely to see a bear in your yard than the trash man picking up your weekly refuge.

      As a high school sophomore, she had no plans for college.   Life was pretty simple and predictable.   Excitement came on game day, where as an athlete, it meant more than rallies and the normal high school hoopla.   It meant a long bus ride to different towns like Tule Lake, Happy Camp, and Hoopa; in other words, exposure to a world beyond the mountains.

      Her guidance counselor called her into the office and told her about a program called Upward Bound at Humboldt State University.   In the summer of 1985, Jennifer's life changed when she moved into the dorm for her first residential program.  

      Jennifer attended Humboldt, majored in physical education and health.   Her first job with Upward Bound was as a resident advisor.   In 1993 she graduated with her teaching credential and went to work part time as an academic advisor for then director, Carole Korb.   Carole, a Native American from the Hoopa tribe, was only the second director of Humboldt's program following in the footsteps of the legendary Jack Lima, a beloved director and one of the forefathers of WESTOP.   Like Jennifer, Carole had been a program graduate.

      Two years later, Jennifer accepted the position as assistant director, and three years later became interim director.   In 2000, Jennifer took over the directorship of one of the oldest programs in the country.

      Directing the Humboldt program is no easy task.   The program serves a rurally isolated area about the size of Connecticut and Massachusetts combined.   Getting to the students is a challenge, even in the best weather.   Curvy roads, snow storms, landslides, and long distances to towns like Hayfork, Ukiah, and Crescent City presented weekly adventures.   Often it meant eight hours of driving back and forth to meet with participants.

      In the last Upward Bound writing competition, tragedy struck as Humboldt lost its program on page count.   Jennifer accepts the responsibility for the oversight.   As hard as it was to lose the program and the only job she had ever known, she has not given up.   Offered other campus positions, Jennifer wanted to stay in TRIO.   Her plan is to resubmit for Upward Bound in 2006.

      Right now she is working for Educational Talent Search, advising 300 participants at two high schools.   She should complete her master's degree in education, spring 2005.   She chairs the scholarship committee for the NorCal Chapter of WESTOP.

      "Things are good in Talent Search.   I'm glad that I'm here, but my true self is Upward Bound," she admits.

      Jennifer personifies Upward Bound Spirit.   It flows in her blood and has for more than half her lifetime.   Anyone who knows her sees it in the glow of her eyes and the bounce in her step.   Her resilience, dedication, and boundless energy for TRIO are all tributes to Jennifer and the TRIO programs at Humboldt.

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You are encouraged to send your Achiever Stories along with a photograph of the achiever to Dave Ferguson by snail mail or email. Stories can be about current participants, graduates, or staff.

Dave Ferguson
Upward Bound Projects
Calif. State University, Chico
Chico, CA 95929-0712
dferguson@csuchico.edu

Read about other achievers Erlinda Ulloa, Jose Ronstadt, Ned Doffoney, Heather Morrison, Blanca Escobar, Christopher Harrison, Wendy Sanchez, Hazel Amina, Sunshine Lawson, Jennifer Dyke, Laura Ochoa, and Michael Christiansen.