Erica firmly believes education is the key to unlocking opportunities beyond your wildest imagination. As the Upward Bound Assistant Director, it is her charge to create meaningful tutoring sessions, guide high school student’s understanding of their academic achievement and how it affects their future collegiate goals, plan cultural and academic experiences, schedule college visitations, and lead a 6-week summer program that emulates the college experience. Erica is a first-generation baccalaureate alumna with degrees in psychology and education from Indiana Wesleyan University. Erica has served in Grant and Wabash counties for nearly 20 years. Her professional background experiences as a former social worker for the Otis R. Bowen Center of Wabash County and public-school educator for Marion Community Schools and Wabash City Schools will allow her to guide, teach, encourage, prepare, and support Upward Bound students and their families. When she isn’t on campus getting used to the idea of having an office, you can find her traveling, spending time with family and friends, collecting Star Wars memorabilia, trying her hand at a new craft project, or running a digital marathon of a recently discovered television or movie series while her four cats run amuck.