ABOUT US

WHAT IS NEVADA STATE GEAR UP?
Nevada State GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) is a federally funded grant that is designed to increase the number of low-income students who are prepared to enter and succeed in postsecondary education. School selection is based on a federally free or reduced lunch rate of 50% or higher. Generally, students are identified as GEAR UP during their 7th grade year and exposed to GEAR UP activities that continue through high school and their first year of college at a Nevada System of Higher Education institution. At its height, the Nevada State GEAR UP grant supported 21 high schools, a robotics program, a longitudinal study, and the UNR Dean’s Future Scholars (DFS) program. This translated into approximately 5,500 students included in Nevada State GEAR UP programming.
View the NDE school abstracts through Nevada Report Card here: Nevada Accountability Portal

STATE OR PARTNERSHIP GRANT
There are two types of GEAR UP grants, a state grant and a partnership grant. The state grant typically has a scholarship component and partnership grant does not. For the current Nevada State GEAR UP grant, Nevada received a waiver to the scholarship component. Although, this state grant will not have a federally funded scholarship component, a project objective is to identify scholarship sponsors throughout the duration of the grant.
Our project, Nevada State GEAR UP, which is highlighted throughout this website, is classified as a state grant. For more information about partnership GEAR UP grants in Nevada, please visit UNLV Center for Academic Enrichment & Outreach (CAEO).

NEVADA STATE GEAR UP GOALS
- GOAL 1: Increase the rate of high school graduation and enrollment in postsecondary education for Nevada GEAR UP students.
- Objective 1.1 Increase student academic performance in mathematics.
- Objective 1.2: Increase high school graduation rates for Nevada GEAR UP students.
- GOAL 2: Increase the number of Nevada GEAR UP students who are prepared to enter and succeed in postsecondary education.
- Objective 2.1: Increase postsecondary enrollment rates for Nevada GEAR UP students.
- GOAL 3: Increase Nevada GEAR UP students’ and families’ knowledge of postsecondary education options, preparation, and financing.
- Objective 3.1: Increase student’s expectations and knowledge of postsecondary education options, preparation, and financing.
- Objective 3.2: Increase parent’s expectations and knowledge of postsecondary education options, preparation, and financing.
Vacant
College of Southern Nevada (CSN) GEAR UP First Year Advisor
Email:
School website: https://www.csn.edu/
Hometown:

Jairon Castellanos-Boteo
Truckee Meadows Community College (TMCC) GEAR UP First Year Advisor
School website: https://www.tmcc.edu/recruitment-access-center/gear-up
Hometown: San José Acatempa, Guatemala

Kelly Briggs
Great Basin College (GBC) GEAR UP First Year Advisor
School website: https://www.gbcnv.edu/
Hometown: Orangeville, ON

Joy Cooper
Nevada State University (NSU) GEAR UP First Year Advisor
School website: https://nevadastate.edu/
Hometown: Ann Arbor, Michigan

Katherine Burdick
University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) GEAR UP First Year Advisor
School website: https://www.unlv.edu/
Hometown: Inglewood, CA

Tawnie D'Angelo
Western Nevada College (WNC) GEAR UP First Year Advisor
School website: https://wnc.edu/advising/high-school-programs/gear-up.php
Hometown: Minden, Nevada

Kinsey Minter
University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) GEAR UP First Year Advisor
School website: https://www.unr.edu/
Hometown: Glendale, AZ
Dean’s Future Scholars
UNR + Washoe County School District

GEAR UP ASPIRE Scholars Program

Nicole Stella
Director, GEAR UP ASPIRE Scholars Program
Hometown: Monrovia, California
Clark County

Amanda Tapia
Nevada GEAR UP Specialist – Bonanza High School
Website: https://www.bonanzabengals.org/
Hometown: Las Vegas, Nevada

Kelly Weddingfeld
Nevada GEAR UP Specialist – Clark High School
Website: https://www.clarkchargers.org/
Hometown: West Mifflin, Pennsylvania

Rita Canonico
Nevada GEAR UP Specialist – Durango High School
Website: https://www.durangohighschool.net/
Hometown: Las Vegas, NV

Vannessa Apo
Nevada GEAR UP Specialist – Bonanza High School
Website: https://www.bonanzabengals.org/
Hometown: Woodbridge, Virginia

Shannon L. Yeats
Nevada GEAR UP Specialist – Clark High School
Website: https://www.clarkchargers.org/
Hometown: Whitefish, Montana

Diana Vang
Nevada GEAR UP Specialist – Durango High School
Website: https://www.durangohighschool.net/
Hometown: Stevens Point, Wisconsin
Nye County

Jennifer Hagstrom
Nevada GEAR UP Specialist – Pahrump Valley High School
School website: https://pvalley-hs.nye.k12.nv.us/
Hometown: Cadillac, Michigan

Yulissa Castillo
GEAR UP Facilitator – Pahrump Valley High School
School website: https://pvalley-hs.nye.k12.nv.us/
Hometown: Pahrump, Nevada
Vacant
Nevada GEAR UP Facilitator - Pahrump Valley High School
Email:
School website: https://pvalley-hs.nye.k12.nv.us/
Hometown: Pahrump, Nevada
Mineral County

Meshanna Merrow
GEAR UP Specialist - Mineral County High School
School website: https://mchs.nvmcsd.org/
Hometown: Tonopah, Nevada

Arian Katsimbras
Education Programs Professional
Hometown: Reno, NV

Javier Smith
Education Programs Professional
Hometown: Chicago, IL
Vacant
Education Programs Professional
Email:
Hometown:
Vacant
GEAR UP Program Officer
Email:
Hometown:
Josh Loftis
GEAR UP Administrative Assistant

Renée Davis
NSHE Assistant Vice Chancellor of Academic and Student Affairs/Director of Student Affairs
Hometown: Minden, NV

Janet Stake
NSHE GEAR UP Director of Programming and Outreach
Hometown: Towaco, NJ

Jana Burd
GEAR UP College Coordinator
Hometown: Anchorage, AK

Arlene Herrera
GEAR UP Research Administrator
Hometown: Las Vegas, NV
