It's "books over beach" for more than 100 area high school students taking part in on-campus summer programs designed to help them improve their academic skills and success.

The free summer sessions at South Seattle Community College also give students the opportunity to experience life on a college campus, while becoming familiar with resources available to help them succeed. Whether prepping for the WASL or creating digital video productions, these high school students are making the most of their summer vacation.

Recent Stanford University graduate and current Upward Bound teaching assistant Johann Strauss knows first-hand the value of spending the summer at South. Colombian-born Strauss, who participated in Upward Bound for four years, credits the program with helping him achieve his higher education dreams.

"It kept me motivated, and prepared me for math, reading and writing that I would encounter in the following school year," he said. "It gave me that added edge to excel in my classes."

The federally-funded, six-week Upward Bound program offers students classes in science, math, Japanese, Spanish, SAT prep, journalism and digital video production, supplemented with fun and educational field trips. Two-thirds of the students are low income and first in their families to attend college, and most participate in the program for their entire four years in high school. During the school year, South's learning specialists continue to work with them on the high school campuses.

Strauss, whose younger brother Eric is a second-year Upward Bound participant, found the supportive atmosphere on campus as important as the academics. Now just a year away from completing a master's degree in Latin American Studies at Stanford, he vividly recalls how the staff never let him give up, especially when college seemed a distant possibility.

"Without Upward Bound, I would have really narrowed my options," he recalls. "Many times I thought I wouldn't get into Stanford, but I always got lots of encouragement here."