Community Partners Give Opportunities for GEAR UP Students

South Bend, IN — GEAR UP South Bend! was featured in an an interview with Sunny 101.5’s Jack and Traci Show. South Bend Schools Assistant Superintendent Chad Addie said, “We are opening up opportunities, access for these kids to reach for higher and better, wherever they happen to find themselves along the learning path.”

He shared that community partnerships have helped the program succeed, with opportunities including college…

Partnership Helps Students Explore Careers in Nursing

The University of Michigan-Flint GEAR UP program recently partnered with the college’s School of Nursing to inspire and educate aspiring health professionals with an engaging and innovative course specifically designed for students in ninth through twelfth grades at Hamady High School.

The Future Nurse Afterschool Program is a comprehensive introduction to the fundamentals of nursing. Not just restricted to academic pursuits, the final…

Two Dozen Lufkin 8^th-Graders Selected for Prestigious Academy

Fourteen Lufkin Middle School eighth-grade students were selected to participate in a prestigious program for the next four summers. GeoFORCE is a partner out of the University of Texas (UT) Austin Jackson School of Geosciences that provides summer academies that introduce GEAR UP students to geological wonders throughout the United States.

Each summer, students visit a different region in the United States. Through in-class…

Sumter high school senior celebrating 60 college acceptances, $1.7 million in scholarships

Jada Collins, a senior at Sumter High School in South Carolina, was accepted to 60 colleges and awarded $1.7 million in scholarships. She credits her school’s GEAR UP program for helping her with the process, “[The GEAR UP counselors] have been amazing and incredible, bringing all the opportunities, and that’s why I have these opportunities because of them.”

GEAR UP counselor Audrika Gadson shared the…

Students Learn Budgeting at Interactive Reality Fair

In the fall, 150 students from several DeSoto Independent School District campuses attended the Texas Trust Credit Union Reality Fair hosted by NXT Gen and College Driven GEAR UP, two district college access grants.

The fair's purpose was to teach students monthly budgeting practices—with a catch. Upon entry, each student was provided a clipboard with a fictitious scenario that contained an occupation, a child, and varying monthly expenses.…

Rural New York Students Given 'Brilliant Pathways'

In New York’s northernmost region, students who are part of CFES Brilliant Pathways GEAR UP are preparing to graduate from high school after six years with the program. Over 2,400 students receive an average of 12 hours per year of personalized college and career coaching from near-peer staff members. Rowan Arquette is one of these College and Career Readiness Fellows who supports students directly. “It’s been super rewarding,” he said. “I…

Bringing Virtual Reality to Texas Students

The San Isidro Independent School District in Texas hasn’t budgeted much for field trips, but students there will still experience a 20th-century California ranch, New York City’s Time Square, and the inside of an atom, thanks to new ClassVR (virtual reality) headsets funded by the Region One Education Services Center GEAR UP program. The headsets provide an immersive, 360-degree digital environment where students can interact with what they see, as…

Inspiring Students Through STEM (and Football!)

Voorhees University GEAR UP in South Carolina gave students a taste of college this summer with three weeks of STEM programming for almost 300 eighth and ninth grade students.

In addition, in December they provided an unforgettable experience for 60 students during the thrilling Carolina Panthers vs. Green Bay Packers football game in Charlotte, NC. This unique initiative aimed to bridge the gap between sports enthusiasm and academic curiosity,…

8th grade students to receive mentors through GEAR UP SWV and SSA in three WV counties

GEAR UP Southern West Virginia (SWV), housed at Concord University, launched multiple initiatives to support middle and high school students. In a partnership with Student Success Agency, students have the opportunity to learn from those who have similar goals and experiences through virtual mentoring with “agents”. To get started, they hosted a series of kick-off events in southern West Virginia to introduce…