Oregon GEAR UP

Students at Riverside's College and Career Center which is "ALWAYS full of students doing scholarship and college applications".

About the school

Riverside Junior/Senior High School, Boardman, Oregon

• 467 students in grades 7-12
• 71% free/reduced lunch
• 79% students of color
   

GEAR UP highlights

Riverside students visit Oregon Health and Sciences University in Portland.

• College Campus Visits: "We have increased our college campus visits and many of our students have made decisions on attending college after visiting a campus." GEAR UP Coordinator Elizabeth Rosen
• Teachers Shadow Students: In order to better understand what students are required to do each day and find out what's working and what can be changed.
• Math Labs: Additional math instruction for students who hadn't passed the state assessment in math.
• Post-High School Planning Day: Every grade participates in college and career-related activities, including taking the PSAT, ASVAB, or SAT.
• One of Your People Project: Video interviews with recent alumni on their path to and experience in college.
   

The impact of GEAR UP

Riverside students who earned an Associate degree at their graduation ceremonies for Blue Mountain Community College in 2019.

"Prior to GEAR UP, students did not have much knowledge of their ability to attend college, believing that it was something for “those kids”, and not for them. They didn’t realize how many scholarships and how much financial aid was available, and how affordable college was.  Now, not only are students VERY aware of all of the financial and other resources there are available for them to attend and be successful in college, we have had numerous kids actually ATTEND college while still in high school and earn degrees. Whereas prior to GEAR UP, students were not interested in dual credit – in the past four years we have had 12 students earn a college degree, either an Associates of Arts Transfer, Associates of Science Transfer, or General Associates, by the time they graduated from high school.  All of those students have gone on to four year college and are pursuing degrees."

An inspiring success story

GEAR UP Coordinator Elizabeth Rosen with Boardman graduates.

"A student had no intentions of attending college because he never dreamed he could afford it, or even that he could enroll as an undocumented student. Through education, personal relationship, and support, this student applied for and received the Dream.Us scholarship – a full ride scholarship to Western Oregon University.  He is in his third year of school there, and he also is one of the 12 students who earned an AAOT prior to graduating from high school.  Programs come and go, and information is great, but the MOST successful initiative has been around for years – relationship."