March 27, 2025 – Paris High School senior Isaiah Hampton has racked up a lot of ink – both in print and digitally, thanks to his many impressive achievements over the last few years. What many people may not know is the help he received from two federal programs at Paris Junior College.
Hampton had been participating in PJC’s Educational Talent Search (ETS) and then applied to Upward Bound (UB) as a sophomore. Both programs are funded by the Department of Education and free to participants.
ETS identifies qualified youths in seventh through twelfth grade with potential for higher education to complete high school and go on. ETS may serve up to 778 students in twenty-six high schools and four junior high schools in Lamar, Red River, Fannin, Hunt, Delta, Hopkins, Franklin, and Titus counties.
UB offers a college-preparatory program for ninth through twelfth grades that promotes educational achievement for students from lower income families who would be the first in their household to receive a college degree. Students are accepted from the following schools: Avery, Chisum, Clarksville, Detroit, North Lamar, Paris, Prairiland, and Rivercrest. Ninety-two percent of students completing the UB program advance to a college or university.
“We want to see the students in Upward Bound use the services and resources the program has to offer to meet their higher education goals,” Barham said. “We’re super proud and excited for Isaiah and hope it makes more people excited about doing the program. We’re not gatekeepers, we want to open the eyes of students and parents to what can happen through Upward Bound.”
Last summer Hampton participated in UB’s summer program at PJC, which brings 86 students to live on campus for six weeks during the summer. There is also an academic year phase, providing a grade level appropriate college readiness curriculum, academic enrichment and group activities throughout the school year.
“It was a new experience because I was taking college classes at a college for the first time,” Hampton said. “It was delightful. Being in Upward Bound is an eye-opening experience to help students to know what college life is like, what the college course load is like and how to manage it. That is so fundamental for people who are moving on to college, it’s really your foundation before you go to college.”
It was during one of UB’s Saturday meetings that Barham told Hampton she was referring him to be invited to apply to the QuestBridge College Prep Scholars Program, which led to his recent achievement in March when he was named as a QuestBridge National College Match out of over 25,500 initial applicants. Matched to Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, he will receive a full four-year scholarship to attend with an estimated value of $410,000.
“Christi recommended me to the QuestBridge College Prep Scholars Program, and I received an invitation to apply. It precedes the national match program,” said Hampton. “It makes you six times more likely to be accepted to the match program, and when I was accepted to the college prep program as a junior, I was ecstatic. I applied to the College Match and became a finalist. I thought, ‘what was a kid from Paris, Texas going to hope to accomplish,’ and it was surreal. Then I got the email matching me to Brown University and it was sublime joy.”
Barham assisted him through the college scholarship process. Hampton is also one of 105 recipients of a 2025 Horatio Alger National Scholarship for $25,000, an annual award recognizing exceptional students, who, in the face of critical financial need and great hardship, remain committed to pursuing higher education. He has also twice been selected to perform with the Texas All-State small school choir in San Antonio and has served as one of 12 Crimestopper Ambassadors for the state of Texas.
Hampton plans to double major in chemistry and physics with plans to pursue postgraduate/professional school after Brown University. He is the second QuestBridge National Match scholar from the PJC Upward Bound program. A Chisum High School student matched with Yale University and graduated there last May.
“The UB staff are proud of Isaiah’s accomplishments and are excited about his future,” Barham.
“I wasn’t ranked a valedictorian or salutatorian, and people say you can’t get into a good college,” said Hampton, “but here I am changing that dynamic.”
Paris Junior College — located in Paris, Texas, about 100 miles northeast of Dallas — has been a part of the Lamar County community since 1924.
Paris Junior College offers Associate in Arts, Associate in Science and Associate in Applied Science degrees, as well as Certificates of Proficiency in technical/workforce fields. The college has expanded its academic curriculum through the years to encourage associate degree and university transfer candidates. Since establishing its first vocational program — jewelry and watchmaking in 1942 — the college has been aggressive in adding technical/workforce programs that will benefit students entering the workforce.
The campus of 54 tree-shaded acres includes 20 major buildings and residence halls and provides students a unique and pleasant environment for learning.
Paris Junior College also operates centers in Sulphur Springs, Texas, and in Greenville, Texas.
Vision
To be the educational provider of choice for the region.
Mission
Paris Junior College is a comprehensive community college serving the region’s educational and training needs while strengthening the economic, social and cultural life of our diverse community.
