GEAR UP

Katie Matheson

Former GEAR UP Student Returns as Chaperone
Jul 11, 2025

Katie Matheson, a 2020 graduate of Ashe County High School, remembers vividly the first time she joined a GEAR UP college bus tour as a student.

GEAR UP, Front page
Student Spotlight

GEAR UP Alumni Spotlight: Brenda Palacios Rodriguez
Jun 30, 2025

Brenda Palacios Rodriguez never envisioned herself attending college. 

GEAR UP, Front page
MTCC Campus Visit

Interactive McDowell Technical Community College Visit Welcomes GEAR UP Students to Campus
Jun 26, 2025

What do you get when you cross a slushie machine, Play-Doh, and a gourmet homemade lunch? You get a 6th grade McDowell Technical Community College visit, of course! 

GEAR UP, Front page
Appalachian GEAR UP staff members celebrate successes during National GEAR UP Week.

Celebrating GEAR UP During National GEAR UP Week
Sep 28, 2023

Each year, GEAR UP programs across the country celebrate... GEAR UP, Front page

Exploring Boundless Horizons: Appalachian State GEAR UP's Unforgettable Summer of College Bus Tours
Aug 14, 2023

Time to load the buses! Fasten your seatbelts and prepare for a summer of adventure and exploration!

GEAR UP, Front page

Academic Innovation Conference 2023
Jul 3, 2023

On June 12, 2023, ten cohort LEA districts, eleven third-party organizations, and cohort higher education partners GEAR UP, Front page
Family Design Night Photo Montage

Evolution of the STEM Based Family Design Nights
Mar 17, 2023

All systems go. T-minus 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, ignition 2, 1.

GEAR UP
GEAR UP & Participate Learning Join Partnership to Focus on Western NC Schools

GEAR UP & Participate Learning Join Partnership to Focus on Western NC Schools
Jan 17, 2023

A new partnership between GEAR UP and Participate Learning seeks to join forces with 10 western North Carolina school districts to help promote... GEAR UP

GEAR UP Hosts Out of This World Family Design Night

GEAR UP Hosts Out of This World Family Design Night
Dec 12, 2022

The GEAR UP Academic Innovation Team led by ... GEAR UP

Swain County GEAR UP Students Tour App State

Swain County GEAR UP Fall College Tour
Nov 23, 2022

Earlier this month, 24 high school seniors from Swain County High School embarked on a statewide college tour led by ... GEAR UP

October Family Design Night

October Family Design Night
Nov 4, 2022

Nearly 100 families from Ashe, Burke, Swain, Wilkes, and Yancey County participated in a recent GEAR UP Family Design Night. 

GEAR UP
EPFP GEAR UP Cohort 2022-23

EPFP GEAR UP Cohort 2022-23
Oct 26, 2022

The Educational Policy Fellowship Program (EPFP) is a national program coordinated by the&

GEAR UP