USU STARS! GEAR UP Takes Stage at GEAR UP West
GEAR UP West is a conference for college access and success practitioners held regionally in the Western United States. This year it was held in Salt Lake City, and many of our staff attended and a few even presented at the annual collaborative event.
Many staff members and site coordinators were able to attend the GEAR UP West in Salt Lake City.
Heather Ericson, Kyle Lund, and Jason Payne presented about lessons learned in our programs.
The GEAR UP Utah state program at Utah Valley University organized the GEAR UP West Conference held on Oct 23-25, around the theme of Reach Your Peak, giving it a regional flair. Keynote talks included success stories from the local educational community, including Dr. Kyle A. Reyes and Dr. Astrid S. Tuminez, both from UVU, and Braxten Nielsen, a professional rodeo athlete.
There were also many great breakout sessions attended by colleagues from across the United States. Since the conference was local, our program was able to take advantage of the opportunity to attend and to share our experiences. Heather Ericson, Kyle Lund, and Jason Payne from the Utah State University STARS! GEAR UP program all talked about lessons learned in our programs.
Program coordinator, Heather Ericson, and Kyle Lund, college advisor, were joined by Latrell Armstrong from FOCUS Training, to co-present on planning engaging bus tours for students. They talked about offering activities in addition to college tours that facilitate a more in-depth look at a college while having fun during the journey. Using experiences from our Geoscience Camp held last summer, they shared scheduling tips and examples of on-campus activities, as well as samples and planning tools.
Jason Payne, director of Grant 4, presented with Brian Dunnicliffe from Texas Instruments to talk about STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) programming using TI products. TI has worked with our schools to put together a selection of fun and simple activities for students and teachers. Activities such as creating color/sound on a microcontroller and programming a robotic vehicle were highlighted. They emphasized that activities like these help students make the connection between what they are learning and potential future careers.
Having our staff in attendance at the conference was a highlight for many of us. In addition to giving presentations, 32 staff members and site coordinators from across our three grants were able to meet both formally and informally each day. The conference gave everyone access to multiple workshops and presentations. It was especially rewarding to see everyone throughout the conference as they shared both knowledge and motivation, connecting with other GEAR UP staff in our program and beyond.