GEAR UP Wyoming Students Participate in UW Discovery Day

Dec. 2, 2008 -- High school students from the Casper College and Laramie County Community College GEAR UP Wyoming programs learned about educational opportunities during a recent Discovery Day at the University of Wyoming.

GEAR UP, which stands for Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs, helps prepare seventh through 12th grade income-eligible students for college.

Discovery Days, coordinated by the UW Admissions Office, introduces prospective students to UW. The day's activities included a resource fair, presentations on UW's academic programs, lunch in Washakie Dining Center and residence hall tours. Current UW students who completed GEAR UP and now participate in a peer mentoring program greeted the GEAR UP students when they arrived on campus and were available to answer questions.

A scavenger hunt helped the students learn about the organizations, programs, and resources at UW.

"Students were given missions to accomplish during the scavenger hunt such as searching for students from a different community college GEAR UP program," says Lori Kimbrough, GEAR UP coordinator at UW. "Other scavenger hunt missions included searches for college clubs that might interest the student or finding information about a major in which they might be interested."

UW students Saige Albert of Powell (molecular biology), Tyson Barnes of Bedford (geology), Chaz Gilmore of Casper (kinesiology/health promotion), and Travis Leonard (pre-medicine/biology) and Becca Shahi (undeclared, health sciences), both from Lyman, are GEAR UP Wyoming alumni who served as hosts to the 41 visiting GEAR UP students during the resource fair scavenger hunt.

UW hosts Discovery Days three times a year. For more information, call the Visitor Center at (307) 766-4075 or visit the UW Web site at www.uwyo.edu/admissions.

GEAR UP is a college preparation program for income-eligible students that includes a kindergarten through 12th grade professional development component. GEAR UP Wyoming is funded 50 percent through a grant from the U.S. Department of Education totaling $3.5 million annually with an additional $3.5 million provided by in-kind and scholarship contributions from Wyoming's community colleges, UW and the Wyoming Department of Education.

For information, contact Kimbrough at (307) 766-6736 or lorik@uwyo.edu. 

Photo:
Gearing Up for College -- GEAR UP Wyoming students toured the campus during a recent Discovery Day at the University of Wyoming. From left are Misty Mets (Kelly Walsh High School), Keasha Hunter, (Casper College work-study student) and Drenton Engberg (Natrona County High School).

Posted on Tuesday, December 02, 2008

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