GEAR UP 2020 Graduate Accepted to University of North Carolina Blue Sky Scholars Program

After visiting The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on a GEAR UP campus visit as a junior, Brenda Palacios Rodriguez knew right away that it was the place for her. Fast forward a year, and the Appalachian GEAR UP graduate has received multiple scholarships offers from prestigious institutions including a full-ride to UNC Chapel Hill. Brenda shares, “GEAR UP to me means bright opportunity. It means setting up students for success and allowing students to dream even bigger than they could imagine themselves. As a first-generation student with no prior knowledge about what my future could hold, having a future vision and goal of creating positive change has all been possible thanks to the GEAR UP Program. GEAR UP is an outlet of immense opportunity for students to figure out their own special way of making this world a better place!”