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 importance of building relationships with students starting in middle school. "When [students] get to high school, they know that they'll always have somebody with them…your guidance counselor may change, your principal may change, your teachers are going to change, but the one thing that doesn't change is the GEAR UP counselors because we're always there."