GEAR UP Wyoming hosted a celebration as part of National GEAR UP Week on Friday to commemorate its presence on campus since 2005.
GEAR UP, or the Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs, is an organization that helps low-income students attend college. Low-income students are defined as those who are eligible for free or reduced lunches, according to Judy Trujillo, grant manager for GEAR UP Wyoming.
“GEAR UP works with junior high and high school students to help them complete high school and be successful in college,” Trujillo said.
In 2005, GEAR UP Wyoming received a six-year grant and in 2011 received a grant for another seven years. In the past, GEAR UP only mentored junior high and high school students, but with this grant it was able to start mentoring freshmen as well, according to Trujillo.
Though GEAR UP can technically only help junior high and high school students through their freshman years of college, the program generally tries to transfer the students to Student Success Services, which strives to collaborate with students throughout their entire college careers to help them graduate.
From 2005 to 2011, 14 percent of low-income students in Wyoming attended college and GEAR UP helped about 2,278 low-income students in junior high and high school during that time span, according to GEAR UP Wyoming.
During the span of the first grant, 67 percent of GEAR UP Wyoming students enrolled in college right after graduating from high school, according to GEAR UP Wyoming.
GEAR UP also offers a mentoring program. There are currently about 65 people in its mentor and mentee program. Mentors are students who were formerly assisted by GEAR UP Wyoming.
Last week, programs across the country in addition to UW’s hosted celebrations in the program’s honor for National GEAR UP week.
“All the programs use this time to communicate with the rest of the community and show them what we do for some of the kids in their community,” Trujillo said.
GEAR UP Wyoming not only helps with tutoring and mentoring students, but also takes students on trips to different colleges including the seven community colleges in Wyoming, UW and schools in Colorado so they can get an idea of what college is like.
“It’s important that they can see themselves as a college student and see themselves in a resident hall or big cafeteria. It’s less scary that way when they do go to college,” Trujillo said.
When helping students get to college, administrators in the program try not to promote any one school.
“The majority of our students start out at community colleges because it can make it easier on them if they’re closer to home. But we try very hard to get them to four-year schools after that,” Trujillo said. “We also try not to recruit for a particular school. It’s very important that students pick a school that’s right for them.”
