Section 1: Program Information
1.1 GEAR UP Overview
National GEAR UP
Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) is a federally funded college access grant program, and was authorized by Title IV of the 1998 Amendments to the Higher Education Act of 1965. The purpose of GEAR UP is to increase the number of low-income and first generation students who are prepared to enroll in and succeed in college.
To meet this goal, the legislation enables GEAR UP to provide:
- Financial assistance, academic support, additional counseling, mentoring, outreach, and supportive services to secondary school students to reduce the risk of students dropping out of school or the need for remedial education at the postsecondary level.
- Information to students and their families about the advantages of postsecondary education and information about college financing options.
The U.S. Department of Education provides six or seven year GEAR UP grants to states and partnerships to provide college access services at high-poverty middle and high schools. Partnerships consisting of one or more local education agencies and one or more higher education institutions and community organizations may apply for GEAR UP partnership grants. The governor of each state may designate only one agency to apply for and administer a GEAR UP state grant.
USU STARS GEAR UP is a grant administered by Utah State University and utilizes a cohort or whole-grade model, meaning that services are provided to all students in the participating grade level, rather than a selected group of students. This grant will provide college access and success services to all cohort students starting in the 7th grade and will continue to provide services through their first year of post-secondary education.
USU STARS GEAR UP
GEAR UP programs are federally funded programs through the U.S. Department of Education. In 2012 Utah State University was awarded funding for our first GEAR UP grant, to serve students across Utah for the next seven years. Since then, the university has applied for, and been awarded additional grants - Grant 2 in 2015, Grant 3 in 2017, Grant 4 in 2018, and Grants 5 and 6 in 2025 - each devoted to college access and success services.
USU STARS GEAR UP works with Local Education Agencies (LEA) across the state in order to accomplish these goals. Through the LEAs, USU STARS! GEAR UP provides students with direct services, including mentoring, tutoring, college visits, and financial aid counseling. Each of the USU STARS! grants serves over 3,000 students, starting in 7th grade and providing resources and support to those same students through their first year of higher education.
Mission
- USU STARS GEAR UP aspires to expand the college bound culture in Utah. It is our mission to leverage local communities' assets to enhance students' academic achievement and college readiness in preparation for realizing their education and career goals.
National GEAR UP Goals
- Increase the academic performance and preparation for postsecondary education for GEAR UP students
- Increase the rates of high school graduation and enrollment in postsecondary education for GEAR UP students.
- Increase GEAR UP students' and their families' knowledge of postsecondary education options, preparation, and financing.
USU STARS GEAR UP Objectives
- Provide Financial Aid information for postsecondary education to students and parents.
Encourage student enrollment in rigorous and challenging curricula to reduce remedial coursework at the postsecondary level. - Improve the number of students who obtain a high school diploma and enroll in postsecondary education.
1.2 Administrative Team Contact Information
Our Administrative Team's contact information can be found on our Staff Directory.
1.3 Partner Schools Contact Information
Cohort 4 (graduating class of 2024)
| School | Contact | Phone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cottonwood High School | Jessica Erickson Monica Gomez |
385-646-9305 385-646-6126 |
jmerickson@graniteschools.org mgrogerson@graniteschools.org |
| Cyprus High School | Ana Palomar Jesika Cooper |
385-646-1447 385-646-1348 |
apalomar1@graniteschools.org jacooper1@graniteschools.org |
| Granger High School | Brinna Bennion Teri Dial |
385-646-0917 385-646-8640 |
bbennion@graniteschools.org tdial1@graniteschools.org |
| Hunter High School | Ashley Johnson Missy Adamson |
385-646-1271 385-646-6521 |
aajohnson@graniteschools.org mdadamson@graniteschools.org |
| Kearns High School | Anna Kammerman Bethany Mendoza |
385-646-9308 385-646-8100 |
ajkammerman@graniteschools.org bamendoza@graniteschols.org |
| Taylorsville High School | Laura Guevara Virginia Kidd |
385-646-1485 801-646-1463 |
lguevara@graniteschools.org vpkidd1@graniteschools.org |
Cohort 5
| School | Contact | Phone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Preparatory Academy | Heidi Sanders | 801-473-6679 | hsanders@apamail.org |
| Ephraim Middle School | Kami Morales | 801-652-6331 | kami.morales@ssanpete.org |
| Gunnison Valley High School | Ashley Dyreng | - | ashley.dyreng@ssanpete.org |
| Mount Logan Middle School | Veronica Castro | 435-750-8047 | veronica.castro@loganschools.org |
| North San Pete Middle School | Jamie Crane | 832-361-1396 | jcrane@nsanpete.org |
| Ogden Preparatory Academy | Rosa Rodriquez | 385-405-0793 | rrodriguez@ogdenprep.org |
1.4 Participating Schools
Cohort Four (graduating class of 2024)
- Cottonwood High School
- Cyprus High School
- Granger High School
- Hunter High School
- Kearns High School
- Taylorsville High School
Cohort Three (graduating classes of 2023, 2024*, and 2025**)
- American Preparatory Academy WVCII**
- Clearfield High School
- Cottonwood High School
- Gunnison Valley High School*
- Innovations High School**
- Logan High School*
- Manti High School*
- North Sanpete High School
Cohort Two (graduating classes of 2021 and 2022*)
- American Preparatory Academy WVCII*
- Clearfield High School
- Cottonwood High School
- Gunnison Valley High School*
- Innovations High School*
- Logan High School*
- Manti High School*
- North Sanpete High School
- Uintah River High School
Cohort One (ended July 2020)
- American Preparatory Academy WVCII
- Clearfield High School
- Dual Immersion Academy
- Eagle View Elementary School
- Ephraim Middle School
- Gunnison Valley High School
- Gunnison Valley Middle School
- Innovations High School
- Logan High School
- Manti High School
- Mount Logan Middle School
- North Davis Junior High School
- North Sanpete High School
- North Sanpete Middle School
- Uintah High School
- Uintah Middle School
- Wendover High School
- West Wendover High School
- West Wendover Middle School
1.5 Partnerships
Partnership information can be found on our Partnerships page.