GEARing UP to be Great

By Deon Quinn, Region 10 ESC Digital Marketing Coordinator

FOR A GROUP of Lancaster ISD middle school students, the path to accessing post-secondary education information became a lot easier with the implementation of the GEAR UP program. Designed to increase early college awareness, readiness, and success for low-income and historically underrepresented students, the federally funded GEAR UP program provides seven-year grants to middle and high schools. GEAR UP, which stands for Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs, provides services such as college tours, summer enrichment programs, career exploration, as well as job shadowing.

What makes this middle school program unique is that it’s led by two individuals who have roots in the Lancaster community. Guiding the class of 2027 cohort at Elsie Robertson Lancaster Middle School, Region 10 GEAR UP Site Coordinators Brittney Hervey and Alexis Wasson were all smiles at the official program kick-off.

“One of my favorite parts about the program is that it creates awareness and access for communities and students who might not have otherwise received the exposure,” said Wasson.

Previously serving as a school counselor in LISD for six years, when Wasson stepped into this role, she was already familiar with the systems, community, and students, which gives her and the program a better opportunity to be successful.

Hervey, a product of LISD herself, understands the challenges students face when planning post-secondary options. For this reason, it is essential to her that a connection of trust is formed between the program staff and students.

“I attended Lancaster schools from childhood through my senior year, and even after graduating from college, I returned to teach for seven years. I’ve sat in the same seats as them and grew up in the same community. Ensuring their success is personal for me.” Hervey shared.

Through community support, partnerships, and supplemental programming, students in the LISD GEAR UP program will be exposed to experiences such as College and Career game night, the Career Cafe Lunch and Learns, and local college tours in order to create exposure to college culture. In fact, many students at the kick-off were already thinking ahead. When a group of cohort students was asked why they wanted to go to college, replies such as “keeping the family legacy going” to “getting a master’s degree in engineering and teaching” were shared.

With goals like these, it’s no surprise that the GEAR UP program’s support goes beyond the needs of the student. A parent engagement component is also included with the goal of educating and preparing parents to send many first-generation college students away from home. Even for students with collegeeducated parents, the process to search and apply for college is different. According to Research. com, more than 3 million students graduated from high school in 2020, with 62% of them opting to apply and enroll in a college or university, creating a more competitive application process. Thanks to the GEAR UP program, families are exposed to the most accurate information, resulting in an increase in students who are likely to enroll and succeed in college.

"We make sure that we’re keeping them up-to-date and just making it a family affair so that everyone is comfortable and confident about their students going off to college,” said Hervey.

For the next six years, students in this cohort will be spoiled by the love and support they receive from Hervey and Wasson. Wasson described their role as “college and career coaches,” but when one of the students was asked about the support Site Coordinators provide, the response was simply, “They are my heroes because I feel like I can trust them and I can lean on them whenever I’m going to need them.”