USU STARS! GEAR UP was recently featured for the work they have done at Utah State University. Supporting over 13,000 students across Utah, they reported that over 90% of their students were active participants in GEAR UP activities. In addition, 526 educators participated in close to 6,000 hours of professional development and over half of their students in high school have already received critical financial aid information. During Utah College Awareness Week, GEAR UP program coordinators led college campus visits, programs held FAFSA family engagement nights, where students and their families were able to meet current college students and ask questions about college life. “College campus visits are so vital for students because it exposes them to what college is really like. To have them be on campus, walking around among busy, happy college students is key to helping them picture themselves at a college and developing and growing in the direction they choose” said Craig Peterson, secondary director at American Preparatory Academy.