GEAR UP Resources Available After Graduation
College Advisors are frequent visitors to GEAR UP schools. Their goal is to meet with high school students before they graduate and build connections. Our schools have done a great job of including GEAR UP College Advisors in school events, such as Talking Tuesday.
One event that Clearfield High School uses for college ready activities is called Talking Tuesday. Credit Layne Carter.
Students learned about GEAR UP resources at a recent Talking Tuesday. Credit Layne Carter.
Mentoring hour is a great time to connect with students. One event that Clearfield High School uses for college ready activities is called Talking Tuesday. This weekly event plays host to colleges and universities. Generally, around 40 students attend to learn about and talk with a representative. Talking Tuesday is coordinated by Keirjsten Adams, Clearfield High School’s scholarship advisor, along with Rylee Ross from the Utah College Access Advisor program.
In March, Clearfield High School invited GEAR UP College Advisor Wade Hirschi to the school to talk about GEAR UP. Wade’s session on GEAR UP had 146 students in attendance. Credit for this overwhelming response goes to Keirjsten Adams. Promotion of these events involves creating flyers, topic/speaker on display screens, and a message sent to students through GEAR UP texting before the event.
During his talk, Wade made students aware of what GEAR UP is and what it can do to help them after they graduate from high school. He promoted the upcoming College Bus Tours, career-focused summer camps and activities, as well as Tutor.com offering free homework help now and through students’ first year of college. Students also have access to Student Success Agency, or SSA, and an agent assigned to help them with academic, career, and life questions. By subscribing to GEAR UP texting, students can also get their questions answered by a GEAR UP College Advisor.
Anticipating a good turnout, Wade’s talk was moved to a larger auditorium. Follow-up after the talk included questions about Tutor.com time limits and how to get essays proofread. There were also questions about upcoming camps and events, as texts and emails continue to come in from students.
Like all of the GEAR UP college advisors, Wade is committed to visiting area high schools regularly. He works with students at both Clearfield and Logan High School and has become a familiar face to many of the seniors. During visits, he helps out with college-focused events at the schools. Layne Carter, site coordinator at Clearfield HS, says that Wade is very approachable and “he is always eager to come and meet with our students.”