Three seniors are college bound with a big boost from "PUPP"
By: Hilary Parker
The last three summers were not what Billie Jean Pinheiro expected.
When she left her native Brazil in September 2002 to join her mother in Princeton, Billie Jean spoke little English "A few phrases, and that was it," she said and figured she’d spend her summer vacations back home in Brazil.
Instead, she spent them studying at Princeton University, where she completed six weeks of intense academic courses each summer as part of the Princeton University Preparatory Program.
On Thursday, Billie Jean will graduate from the PUPP along with fellow Princeton High School seniors Avery Hookey and Wan Cha, as well as 13 students from Ewing High School and Trenton Central High School.
The college-bound PHS students Billie Jean plans to attend Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa., Avery is headed to Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pa., and Wan is bound for the University of Rochester in New York are members of the third graduating class of PUPP, a three-year program established in 2000 by Princeton University Professor Miguel Centeno and John Webb, the director of the university’s Program in Teacher Preparation.
"The ultimate goal of the program is to provide the students with enriching academic experiences that will hopefully make them viable candidates for acceptance into selective colleges and universities," said Torey Wilson, PUPP co-coordinator. "We also want them to be successful when they’re at these universities and colleges."
Students are invited to join the program based on their scores on the standardized Grade Eight Proficiency Assessment, as well as their academic status during their freshman year of high school, Mr. Wilson said. At the time of invitation, Mr. Wilson said, students and their families are made aware that the program is geared toward students from low-income households and there is a financial cutoff for participation (the PUPP program is fully funded by a variety of donors). Those students who choose to apply must complete a formal application with college admissions-style essays and participate in a group interview.
"PUPP was truly a life-changing experience," said Avery. "The three summers as well as Wednesday afternoons during the school year that I committed to it allowed significant time for intellectual and personal growth."
In addition to the 18 courses completed over the three summers, the PUPP participants met every Wednesday for writing enrichment classes.
While Billie Jean, Avery and Wan raved about their academic learning experiences with PUPP, they also spoke positively of lessons that extended far beyond the realms of writing and principles of physics.
"I saw it as a great way to stay in shape academically and also a great opportunity as far as new academic experiences and meeting new people," Wan said, mentioning in particular the students from the Trenton and Ewing high schools.
"Socially, I became close with a group of racially diverse people whom I otherwise wouldn’t have had the chance to get to know, and our bond was supportive and nonjudgmental," Avery said.
Billie Jean said that while there were some stereotypes to overcome among the students from different high schools, the walls dividing them quickly came down.
The friendships she formed are one of the things she’ll miss most, she said, while she’s away this summer with her PUPP graduation behind her, she’ll finally be spending the entire summer in Brazil.
"I’m sad because I’m not going to stay here and hang out with everyone, PUPP friends and school friends," Billie Jean said "But I’m very excited that I’m going."