GEAR UP was featured on the Telemundo evening news highlighting their work supporting low-income students during the new online learning environment.
Video Transcript:
50% of high school students in the country is made up of first-generation low-income students, who are members of minorities. However, there is a federal program that gives them information and advisory help, which accompanies them for many years. It even gives them financial resources to achieve the dream of going to university, even in a private university with a full ride. Today we will introduce you to the Gear Up program.
“As parents, we sometimes do not have requirements or do not have adequate information as one of our children can go to university.”
– Lorena, Gear Up Parent
Since her son entered the Gear Up program, Lorena shouldn’t worry about that.
“The Gear Up program is a federally funded program that focuses on “Gaining early awareness and readiness for undergraduate programs.”
– Rodolfo Acosta, Program Director, Gear Up
Each year, this federal program invests more than $ 360,000,000 in students to prepare them to go to college.
“They help us learn; they help us explore more opportunities out there.”
– Mark, Gear Up Student
Mark started this program in seventh grade, and then a world of possibilities opened up for him and his family.
“[With] These opportunities he has been learning a lot, in how to move forward, and that there is so much opportunity financially.”
– Lorena
And because of these resources, her son dreams big.
“Harvard or MIT.”
– Mark
The Gear Up project will continue to help students for the next six years.
“The mission of Gear Up has three goals, the number one is that they are graduating high school, the second is that they enter a university, and the third is that they help benefit and give back to the community.”
– Rodolfo Acosta
“They give us a lot of advice, such workshops, references they give us, they are also inventors, they help us both (parents) and them (students).
– Lorena
Mark already knows how to program computers. Aside from the academic preparation, they offer Gear Up also provides materials and courses.
“Here (Gear Up) gives you the material you need, but you have to force yourself to work to achieve what you want.”
– Lorena
This program gives the opportunity to many students in South Compton and downtown Los Angeles, among other areas in another region. To obtain information, we invite you to go to telemundo52.com and search the words Gear Up.