FSU nursing student honored with Community Choice Award

GEAR UP alum, Katie Marcum, was recently featured for being named the Best Nurse in Harrison County by the Exponent Telegram’s 2021 Best of Harrison County Community Choice Awards. She shares how the West Virginia GEAR UP program supported her college and career dreams, “Throughout my high school experience, I was able to tour and visit multiple colleges around the state. I knew I wanted to go into nursing and researched the best…

Staff member guides students on path to higher education

As a first-generation college student herself, Osiris Ortiz, knows firsthand, the impact a strong support system has on a student’s college journey. As interim assistant director for GEAR UP at the University of California, Santa Cruz, she has spent years talking to students about the benefits of a postsecondary education. She shares, “Our programs bridge the cultural capital and resources needed to navigate postsecondary systems.”

Remarkable Women of Central Alabama: Introducing Dr. Samantha Elliott Briggs

A finalist for Remarkable Women in Alabama, Dr. Samantha Elliot Briggs, Director for GEAR UP Alabama and GEAR UP Advisory Commissioner was featured for the work she has done for students in the Black Belt region of Alabama. “It dawned on me that where my father fought for civil rights in the courtroom, I fight for them in the classroom,” Dr. Elliott Briggs said. “And I think that’s kind of the pivotal moment where I…

Matsuda: Living in a VUCA World, What Schools Need to do to Survive and Thrive in the Post Pandemic World

NCCEP Board Member, Michael Matsuda, superintendent of Anaheim Union High School District, recently authored an article discussing the impacts of the pandemic on students and learning, and what the future of education could look like. He explains that the term VUCA, Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity, an acronym first coined by the military after the collapse of the USSR in…

Arizona GEAR UP’s Discover Parent Guide helps families plan for postsecondary success

Arizona GEAR UP recently launched a Discover Guide for students to explore college and career pathways. They have added to that initiative by creating a Discover Guide specifically for families. “We know how influential parents are in helping move students through the college application process and supporting their students in college,” said Northern Arizona University President Rita Cheng. Both the student…

Panther Prints brings business to Chiloquin students

A promising new program at Chiloquin Junior/Senior High School will allow students to develop creative and professional skills while learning to run a business. The eventual goal of Panther Prints is to develop into a fully student-run business, where students work independently on projects in each area of design, production, and sale. Proceeds from the orders will go back into the business as well as towards funding college tours and other…

Kentucky issues TikTok FAFSA challenge

GEAR UP Kentucky recently launched an innovative and exciting new campaign to increase FAFSA awareness and completion in their state. Their FAF$A for the Future TikTok Challenge launched earlier this month with Dr. Aaron Thompson, Kentucky Council for Postsecondary Education President and previous NCCEP Board Member, kicking things off. “This is a fun and innovative way to spread the word about an important issue,” Dr. Thompson said. “In Kentucky, FAFSA…

Meridian schools hold drive-thru FAFSA event

Get2College, Meridian High School, and Meridian Community College recently hosted a GEAR UP Mississippi FAFSA Drive Thru event. They supported students as they completed the FAFSA and Mississippi aid application from the safety of their car. They plan to expand their FAFSA Drive Thru events to schools across Mississippi! 
 

PTC and Laurens school districts partner for GEAR UP Initiative

GEAR UP students in their first year of college are receiving academic tutoring and mentoring support from local college, Piedmont Technical College (PTC). Students have direct access to instructors and mentors to help them navigate an especially challenging first year of college. “Provisions of this grant include an instructor (Levine) to support the cohort, tutoring and at least four workshops a semester, as well as laptops,…