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 2020-2021 Abstracts for GEAR UP Schools and higher education: High Schools and Higher Education Abstracts
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
- Academic Preparation: Increase the number of Nevada GEAR UP students who are prepared to enter and succeed in postsecondary education.
- Objective 1.1 Increase student academic performance in mathematics;
- Objective 1.2 Increase enrollment rates of Nevada GEAR UP (NVGU) students in postsecondary education
- Knowledge: Increase Nevada GEAR UP students’ and families’ knowledge of postsecondary education options, preparation, and financing.
- Objective 2.1 Increase student expectations and knowledge of postsecondary preparation and financial aid options and procedures;
- Objective 2.2 Increase parent and family expectations and knowledge of postsecondary preparation and financial aid options and procedures
- Graduation and College: Increase the rate of high school graduation and enrollment in postsecondary education for Nevada GEAR UP students.
- Objective 3.1 Increase graduate rates of NVGU students from high school;
- Objective 3.2 Increase enrollment rate of NVGU students in postsecondary education.
Mari Jimenez-Ortiz
Truckee Meadows Community College (TMCC) GEAR UP First Year Advisor
Email: mjimenezortiz@tmcc.edu
School website: https://www.tmcc.edu/recruitment-access-center/gear-up
Hometown: Bishop, CA
Andrea Saavedra-Nieto
University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) GEAR UP First Year Advisor
Email: andreasaavedra@unr.edu
School website: https://www.unr.edu/gear-up
Hometown: Nevada
Tawnie D’Angelo
Western Nevada College (WNC) GEAR UP First Year Advisor
Email: tawnie.wentz@wnc.edu
School website: https://www.wnc.edu/high-school-programs/gear-up-nevada/
Hometown: Minden, Nevada
Elizabeth Duryea
Great Basin College (GBC) GEAR UP First Year Advisor
Email: elizabeth.duryea@gbcnv.edu
School website: https://www.gbcnv.edu/recruitment/gearup.html
Hometown: Jonesboro, AR
Elizabeth Duryea
Morgan Haynes
College of Southern Nevada (CSN) GEAR UP First Year Advisor
Email: morgan.haynes@csn.edu
School website: https://www.csn.edu/
Hometown: Dallas, Texas
Nicola Opfer
Nevada State College (NSC) GEAR UP First Year Advisor
Email: nicola.opfer@nsc.edu
School website: https://nsc.edu/current-students/gear-up-program/
Hometown: Las Vegas, NV
Morgan Fullmer
University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) GEAR UP First Year Advisor
Email: morgan.fullmer@unlv.edu
School website: http://caeo.unlv.edu/gearup/
Hometown: Las Vegas, NV
Dean’s Future Scholars
UNR + Washoe County School District
GEAR UP ASPIRE Scholars Program
Nicole Stella
Director, GEAR UP ASPIRE Scholars Program
Email: nicole.stella@unlv.edu
Hometown: Monrovia, California
Clark County
Danielle Ford
Nevada GEAR UP Specialist – Bonanza High School & Walter Johnson Junior High School
Email: anthodj@nv.ccsd.net
School website: click here
Hometown: Monaca, Pennsylvania
Ouiza Weber
Nevada GEAR UP Specialist – Bonanza High School & Hyde Park Middle School
Email: weberon@nv.ccsd.net
School website: click here
Hometown: Besançon, France
Rita Kundanani
Nevada GEAR UP Specialist – Bonanza High School & Kenny C. Guinn Middle School
Email: kundarm@nv.ccsd.net
School website: click here
Hometown: Chicago, Illinois
Nye County
Barrie Fenton
GEAR UP Facilitator – Rosemary Clarke Middle School
Email: bfenton@nyeschools.org
School website: click here
Hometown: Las Vegas, Nevada
Karina Lopez
Nevada GEAR UP Facilitator – Pahrump Valley High School
Email: klsantillan@nyeschools.org
School website: click here
Hometown: Carson City, Nevada
Jennifer Hagstrom
Nevada GEAR UP Specialist – Pahrump Valley High School
Email: jhagstrom@nyeschools.org
School website: click here
Hometown: Cadillac, Michigan
Nate Mackinnon
NSHE Vice Chancellor for Community Colleges
Email: nmackinnon@nshe.nevada.edu
Hometown: Chelmsford, MA
Amanda Annan
GEAR UP Research Administrator
Email: aannan@nshe.nevada.edu
Hometown: Rancho Cucamonga, California
