In the coming weeks, freshmen will get an opportunity to visit many different colleges and campuses, as part of the GEAR UP program. The GEAR UP program, named as an acronym that stands for Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs, is a program managed by the United States Department of Education that helps the efforts to help increase the number of low-income students that obtain a high school diploma and prepare them and support them in succeding in their college years.
On March 7th, a group of about 30 different freshmen went to visit the NOVA Medical Education Campus (MEC) in Springfield, Virginia. NOVA MEC focuses on the medical department and offers a variety of medical education classes, such as EMT, occupational, respiratory, and physical therapy, nursing, etc. The freshmen were split into 2 groups depending on their chaperone and switched between different activites. were given a tour around the campus, visiting different classrooms and labs to give freshmen a visual on what classes are taught at the campus. Along with touring the campus, the freshmen sat down in a classroom and were given a presentation on what classes are offered, the pre-requesites & co-requesites needed to apply for certain classes, and directions on how to apply for a class at NOVA MEC.
On March 20th, another group of freshmen would go to visit Marymount University, a Catholic university in Arlington, Virginia. The freshmen were given an information session by a student who had graduated from Marymount, and now works with Marymount’s military veterans program. They explained what Marymount is, the cost for tuition and how it works, and the programs Marymount had to offer. Marymount University is a very diverse school and shows pride in their diversity. The freshmen were also given a look around Marymount’s engineering and nursing buildings, their lecture halls, gymnasiums, and swimming pools. Freshmen were able to learn how student life was like in Marymount and the variety of programs and clubs that students in Marymount can participate in.
Services that are provided to freshmen that are a part of the GEAR UP program, such as the opportunities to go on many different college trips, really give freshmen a good insight on how college life would be like after graduating high school and show the many paths they are able to take because of this program. “As I learn more within the GEAR UP program, I see the great things that they bring, such as educating our families on what financial aid is, what the college process, and within the GEAR UP program, I’ve met people that work with Hispanic college institutes and Hispanic serving colleges or universities and have given me more information that I can bring back and share with the students and families here at Osbourn,” said Ms. Sorto, Osbourn’s family liaison. The GEAR UP program really gives first-generation college students or low-income families the opportunity to help them pursue their education and push themselves into reaching for post-secondary education. “The best part about it is that you get to meet people that have walked the same path that our students are soon to walk,”added Ms. Sorto.
With the college trips GEAR UP provides to schools, it can help students begin a transition into the college level by getting a visual on how college will work for them in the future. “With the opportunity of making those different visits to colleges, it gives students a good opportunity to begin that transition into the post-secondary education level,” said Mrs. Fransisco, a counselor at Osbourn.
