{"id":76307,"date":"2023-12-06T16:17:19","date_gmt":"2023-12-06T21:17:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/?post_type=bu-article&#038;p=76307"},"modified":"2023-12-18T10:58:49","modified_gmt":"2023-12-18T15:58:49","slug":"setting-students-up-for-success","status":"publish","type":"bu-article","link":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/news\/articles\/2023\/setting-students-up-for-success\/","title":{"rendered":"Setting Students Up for Success"},"content":{"rendered":"\t<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-leadin news-block-editorial-leadin is-style-side-by-side has-media has-flip has-box has-media-focus-center-middle has-secondary-theme\">\n\t\t<div class=\"container-lockup\">\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-leadin-media\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<img width=\"2560\" height=\"1802\" src=\"\/wheelock\/files\/2023\/12\/BU-GEARUP1-scaled.jpg\" class=\"\" alt=\"Shows two adults and three high school students standing in front of a wall\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2023\/12\/BU-GEARUP1-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2023\/12\/BU-GEARUP1-852x600.jpg 852w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2023\/12\/BU-GEARUP1-1500x1056.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2023\/12\/BU-GEARUP1-768x541.jpg 768w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2023\/12\/BU-GEARUP1-1536x1081.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2023\/12\/BU-GEARUP1-2048x1442.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2023\/12\/BU-GEARUP1-1173x826.jpg 1173w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2023\/12\/BU-GEARUP1-489x344.jpg 489w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2023\/12\/BU-GEARUP1-751x529.jpg 751w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2023\/12\/BU-GEARUP1-969x682.jpg 969w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2023\/12\/BU-GEARUP1-1466x1032.jpg 1466w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2023\/12\/BU-GEARUP1-1876x1321.jpg 1876w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2023\/12\/BU-GEARUP1-977x688.jpg 977w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2023\/12\/BU-GEARUP1-1503x1058.jpg 1503w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2023\/12\/BU-GEARUP1-1937x1364.jpg 1937w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2023\/12\/BU-GEARUP1-1420x1000.jpg 1420w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-leadin-caption wp-prepress-component-caption\">Miriam Alfaro Ortez (left) and Arielle Derival (right) with GEAR UP students from East Boston High School.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-outer\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-inner\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-prepress-tag\">College Access &amp; Student Success<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"head\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSetting Students Up for Success\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"deck\">The GEAR UP program provides much-needed supports for first-gen and low-income students\u00a0<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar news-prepress-layout-metabar\">\n\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-date\">December 6, 2023<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-comments\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"#comments\" class=\"wp-prepress-component-comment-counter label has-no-comments\"><span class=\"wp-prepress-component-comment-counter-zero\"><span>0<\/span><\/span><\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-credits\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul data-credit-type=\"By\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/news\/authors\/finn-gardiner\/\">Finn Gardiner<\/a><\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-share js-bu-prepress-share-tools\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-twitter\"><span>Twitter<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-facebook\"><span>Facebook<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-action\"><\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\n\n\n<p>With access to tutors, internships, and other resources, students from middle- and upper-class families often have a leg up when it\u2019s time to prepare for higher education and the working world. On the other hand, many first-generation and low-income students lack access to these benefits and find themselves struggling to keep up in both college and the workforce. Programs like Boston <a href=\"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/about\/offices-services\/college-access-student-success\/precollege-programs\/\">GEAR UP<\/a>, administered by BU Wheelock\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/about\/offices-services\/college-access-student-success\/\">College Access &amp; Student Success<\/a> (CASS), work to remedy these inequities.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Directed by <a href=\"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/profile\/arielle-derival\/\">Arielle Derival<\/a>, Boston\u2019s GEAR UP provides comprehensive support like tutoring, life skills classes, and college tours to middle and high school students. The program works with 7th- to 12th-grade students at two public schools, Mario Umana Academy K\u20138 and East Boston High School. Hundreds of students participate in the programs: there are 635 high school students and 265 middle school students.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1500\" height=\"1125\" src=\"\/wheelock\/files\/2023\/12\/BU-ft-2023-1500x1125.jpg\" alt=\"A group of high school students with BU terrier \" class=\"wp-image-76317\" srcset=\"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2023\/12\/BU-ft-2023-1500x1125.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2023\/12\/BU-ft-2023-800x600.jpg 800w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2023\/12\/BU-ft-2023-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2023\/12\/BU-ft-2023-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2023\/12\/BU-ft-2023-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2023\/12\/BU-ft-2023-1101x826.jpg 1101w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2023\/12\/BU-ft-2023-459x344.jpg 459w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2023\/12\/BU-ft-2023-705x529.jpg 705w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2023\/12\/BU-ft-2023-909x682.jpg 909w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2023\/12\/BU-ft-2023-1376x1032.jpg 1376w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2023\/12\/BU-ft-2023-1761x1321.jpg 1761w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2023\/12\/BU-ft-2023-917x688.jpg 917w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2023\/12\/BU-ft-2023-1411x1058.jpg 1411w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2023\/12\/BU-ft-2023-1819x1364.jpg 1819w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2023\/12\/BU-ft-2023-1333x1000.jpg 1333w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2023\/12\/BU-ft-2023-1600x1200.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px\" \/><figcaption>Boston Public Schools students in the GEAR UP program visit the BU campus <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>In Boston, <a href=\"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/profile\/miriam-alfaro-ortez\/\">Miriam Alfaro Ortez<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/profile\/richarldine-lubin\/\">Richarldine Lubin<\/a> serve as advisors for East Boston High School students, and <a href=\"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/profile\/maria-paredes\/\">Maria Paredes<\/a> is the advisor for Mario Umana Academy. They take students to colleges, educational fairs, and other events that spark their interest in higher education. They also encourage students to take full advantage of what the program has to offer, as well as other forms of support from their schools and communities.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Struggling students can work with GEAR UP staff to improve their attendance records and get tutoring for challenging subjects. And when it\u2019s time for students to prepare for college and the working world, GEAR UP helps students prepare strong applications that will make an impression on admissions officers. Students also have the opportunity to attend workshops and summer boot camps to give them the knowledge they need to perform successfully in college and the workforce.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For many of these students, this is the first time they have been able to envision themselves as college graduates. \u201cSome of our students have never stepped foot on a college campus before joining GEAR UP,\u201d says Derival.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3>A diverse group of students <\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The Boston GEAR UP program is part of a national network that serves 560,000 students in 45 states. In Massachusetts alone, GEAR UP serves 6,300 middle and high school students in, as well as first-year college students. While GEAR UP is open to any of the partner schools\u2019 students without regard for race, ethnicity, immigration status, or financial status, the Boston program serves participants who are predominantly low-income Latinx students and typically first-generation college students.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories is-style-list alignright news-block-editorial-relatedstories\">\n\t\t<h3 class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-title\">Related<\/h3>\n\t\t<ul class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-list\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-list-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<article class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-category\"><span>Faculty &amp; Staff News<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/news\/articles\/2022\/new-books-explore-relational-approach-to-teaching-social-justice\/\" class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-title-link\">New Books Explore Relational Approach to Teaching Social Justice<\/a><\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-date\">December 2, 2022<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-list-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<article class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-category\"><span>Science<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/news\/articles\/2022\/buzzing-around-creatively-teaching-science-to-second-graders\/\" class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-title-link\">Buzzing Around: Creatively Teaching Science to Second Graders<\/a><\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-date\">September 29, 2022<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p>Federal funding ensures that low-income students are able to get wraparound supports long before they enter higher education. \u201cAll services provided to students are free of charge,\u201d says Lubin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>GEAR UP\u2019s director and advisors are well equipped to support a racially, culturally, and academically diverse group of students: Derival is a first-generation Black college graduate from a low-income background, Alfaro Ortez was a top-performing student from Boston Public Schools, Paredes immigrated from Mexico to attend college, and Lubin transferred from a community college to a four-year institution and is now pursuing her master\u2019s degree at BU Wheelock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIf I had these resources when I was in high school, my college journey would be completely different,\u201d says Lubin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3><strong>Academics and beyond <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>GEAR UP\u2019s programming isn\u2019t limited to academics\u2014tutors and advisors guide students to learn life skills they\u2019ll need after they finish their education, too. For example, students play a game called \u201cClaim Your Future,\u201d where they learn how to navigate aspects of adult life, including budgeting, working with banks and car dealerships, and finding housing.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<aside class=\"wp-block-editorial-aside news-block-editorial-aside alignleft has-light-background\">\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-dark-color\"> RELATED CATEGORY<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3>Community Engagement<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><a class=\"wp-block-button wp-block-bu-button news-block-button is-style-accent\" href=\"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/news\/articles\/category\/community-engagement\/\">See All Stories<\/a><\/p>\n<\/aside>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s great to meet the students during their freshman or sophomore years and follow them to graduation,\u201d says Alfaro Ortez.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The numbers reflect students\u2019 growing interest in higher education opportunities after participating in the program. In the 2022\u201323 school year, about 94% of Boston GEAR UP seniors completed the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) or FAFSA Awareness form, an essential step to receiving federal financial aid for college.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And the program\u2019s benefits don\u2019t end after high school. During the first year of college or trade school, students continue to receive support and advice from their advisors. GEAR UP also offers a scholarship to students whose financial aid package doesn&#8217;t cover the entire cost of tuition.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For the GEAR UP staff, the students\u2019 success is its own reward. \u201cThe relationships that are built with students, families, and teachers are what makes the program valuable,\u201d says Paredes. \u201cThey motivate me to do this work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With access to tutors, internships, and other resources, students from middle- and upper-class families often have a leg up when it\u2019s time to prepare for higher education and the working world. On the other hand, many first-generation and low-income students lack access to these benefits and find themselves struggling to keep up in both college [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8572,"featured_media":76313,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"bu_prepress_billboard":"{\"post_id\":76096,\"hed\":\"Teaching Racial Justice in Early Childhood Settings\",\"dek\":\"Next Article\",\"class\":\"wp-block-editorial-billboard news-block-editorial-billboard is-style-half-photo has-dark-overlay has-media\",\"backgroundId\":\"76155\",\"backgroundUrl\":\"\\\/wheelock\\\/files\\\/2023\\\/11\\\/Photos-970x456.png\",\"backgroundType\":\"image\",\"backgroundOpacity\":\"100\"}","_bu_prepress_primary_term":"College Access & Student Success","_bu_prepress_primary_term_manual":""},"tags":[6832,4060,6834,6838,6833],"bu-publication":[6614],"magazine-article-category":[],"magazine-topic":[],"news-article-category":[6742,6741,6760,6647],"news-topic":[6790,6934],"bu_edition":[],"media_type":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/76307"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/bu-article"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8572"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=76307"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/76307\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":76406,"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/76307\/revisions\/76406"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/76313"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=76307"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=76307"},{"taxonomy":"bu-publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-publication?post=76307"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-article-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/magazine-article-category?post=76307"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/magazine-topic?post=76307"},{"taxonomy":"news-article-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-article-category?post=76307"},{"taxonomy":"news-topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-topic?post=76307"},{"taxonomy":"bu_edition","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu_edition?post=76307"},{"taxonomy":"media_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media_type?post=76307"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}