Northwest College Celebrates National GEAR UP Week 2022

Northwest College is preparing to participate in GEAR UP for “National GEAR UP Week 2022.”

This week commemorates the success of Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP), a college access program providing students and families with support and resources for college readiness.

“GEAR UP is a family program designed to prepare students to be successful in college,” GEAR UP Coordinator for the Big Horn Basin Rebecca Moncur says. “We offer our students ACT workshops, college visits and summer enrichment programs. Families are invited to participate in social and educational programs at the college, all at no cost.”

According to Northwest College, since its inception in 1999, GEAR UP has improved educational outcomes for millions of low-income, minority, and disadvantaged students across the United States. Currently, the Northwest College GEAR UP team serves approximately 250 students annually across the Big Horn Basin from seventh grade through their freshman year of college.

Northwest College is celebrating National GEAR UP Week 2022 by recognizing the aspirations and accomplishments of students. Tenth graders in the program consistently outscore other Wyoming students in all subjects on the WY-TOPP test, and in 2021, juniors and seniors averaged higher scores on the ACT test than other Wyoming students. Northwest College also saw “100 percent” of its participating high school seniors graduate, and “71 percent” enrolled in college by the following term.

Once in college, these same students “maintain persistent enrollment at higher levels than their peers and most are awarded multiple local, regional, and national scholarships.” Last year, for example, GEAR UP students in the Northwest College Service Area averaged $10,600 in scholarship awards, including the Starr Scholarship, Daniel’s Fund, UW Trustee’s, and Horatio Alger.

One GEAR UP college freshman stated, “GEAR UP provided me the resources I couldn’t afford, but on top of that, it made me realize I had the potential of succeeding in life, and honestly, breaking some of the repetitive cycles that my family has repeated over and over again.”