The Essential Questions

The Unexamined Life Is Not Worth Living


To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.

What is a man, if his chief good and market of his time be but to sleep and feed? a beast, no more.

These, then, are the essential questions.  Any earnest attempt to answer these questions may produce dangerous side-effects such as a humbled nature, a battered ego, broken preconceptions, naked pomposity, and a staggered sense of self-assurance.

Who am I?  How much of me is simply a product of the culture and circumstances of my birth and raising?  How much free will do I truly have, given my environment and the DNA dealt to me?  How do others see me?  Do I know myself?  Do I know what motivates me and why?  What repels me?  Why I feel anger and curiosity and fear and shame and love?  

How do I know love?  Can I separate love from other emotions I have?  What is unique about love?  Can I love unconditionally?  Could I live without love?  Can I "give up" something/someone I love without resentment, pain or anger?  What does it mean to love yourself?  

What is the "good life"?  How is a good life achieved and maintained?  How will I know if I am living the "good life"?  Are there levels of "the good life"? What examples and role models for "the good life" can I follow or emulate?

What are my moral and ethical standards?  How did I come by them?  Have I examined them?  How have they been tested?  How do I know they are worthy and truly my own?  Am I willing to sacrifice or transgress these standards if the situation warrants it?  What situations or conditions would give rise to me breaking my moral or ethical code?

What do I believe to be truth?  Do I have a "belief system" that I developed myself, or have I borrowed or inherited a belief system.  How do I "test" the beliefs I hold in the face of a changing reality?  What is the difference--if there is any--between facts and truth?  How do I deal with others who believe differently than I do?  How can I be sure that my beliefs are "right"?   

The Philosophy of HSU's Upward Bound Program

The Underlying Philosophy of Project Upward Bound

Based on the language of the Higher Education Act of 1965 and the requirements posted therein, we can see the standards of the Program's founding philosophy.  

INCLUSIVITY           

• everyone counts
• everyone is capable of learning
• everyone deserves an opportunity to realize her potential
• everyone contributes to the greater good 

EMPOWERMENT

• provide access to institutions of higher education
• build academic skills needed for college success
• enhance oral and written communication skills
• practice critical thinking skills in pursuit of literary and scientific study
• prepare and support students through the process applying, enrolling and completing a post-secondary degree

EXPANDING HORIZONS

• explore career choices and fields of study
• expand exposure to a diversity of art, language, culture, literature
• introduce new perspectives, philosophies and viewpoints

          SELF-FULFILLMENT

• enhance interpersonal skills
• build self-confidence
• encourage self-knowledge
• nurture curiosity, empathy, individuality and compassion
• encourage and model life-long learning behaviors
• promote strong character traits, including integrity, dependability, persistence and self-reliance

Now, HSU's Upward Bound has evolved through the years.  Every student, teacher, mentor and administrator has contributed to our particular culture here.  So will you.  We have instituted additional philosophies, over time, that are now part of our program.  Some that distinguish us:

• everyone deserves respect
• everyone earns their place in our program
• everyone is given the opportunity to balance freedom with responsibility
• everyone is encouraged to seek self-knowledge and be themselves
• everyone "takes care" of one another