News

Photo of volunteers working in the Feeding Avery Families warehouse

Next Step Adviser Builds Community Through Service
Feb 2, 2026

As the Avery County Next Step Adviser, Fitz Fitzgerald is responsible for helping students make a plan for life after high school.

Advise NC, Front page
GEAR UP Director and Deputy Director of the Office of Rural Promise Corinne Smith to serve on NCCEP Board of Directors

Appalachian GEAR UP Director Elected to NCCEP Board of Directors
Jan 9, 2026

Corinne Smith, director of Appalachian GEAR UP and deputy director of the Office of Rural Promise (ORP), has been elected to serve a three-year term on the...

Front page, GEAR UP

New L.E.A.D Cohort Kicks Off at Appalachian State
Dec 19, 2025

On Saturday, December 6, Appalachian GEAR UP hosted the first L.E.A.D. Gather-Connect for the second cohort of the program. 

GEAR UP, Front page
Phoebe Thompson

Headin’ Down South
Sep 3, 2020

As I drove south from my hometown of Whipple, Ohio to the far western reaches of North Carolina, I noticed a lot of changes.

Advise NC

Fast Times at 'Rona High
Aug 24, 2020

Appalachian College Advising Corps advisers began their college access work this month in high schools across western North Carolina.

Advise NC
Nina Galea

Expand Yosef: Exploring the 2019 College Advising Corps Summit Through the Eyes of an Appalachian Adviser
Feb 21, 2020

The news that the annual CAC Summit Conference would be held in Boston, Massachusetts in early December drew excitement from me the moment I heard it.

Advise NC

Life as an Adviser: Lila Battles Inequity in Education in a Rural Appalachian Community
Feb 14, 2020

The best day of my elementary school career was when I won a raffle and my prize was not candy, not ice cream, but getting to intern in the main office for the day.

Advise NC
Zach Beasley

Life as an Adviser: Zack Writes about Empowering Students Outside the Classroom
Feb 7, 2020

Truth be told- I lucked into this position. Once I completed my undergraduate degree at Appalachian State, I was at a loss.

Advise NC
Yesenia Martinez-Salazar

Life as an Adviser: Yesenia Martinez-Salazar Writes About Settling in to a New Environment
Jan 31, 2020

 I was raised in Raleigh, NC. I mentioned Raleigh because I believe where I was raised has played a role in my experience in working in rural Appalachia.

Advise NC
Miles Poteat

Life as an Adviser: Miles Poteat's First Generation Connection
Jan 23, 2020

These past few months working as a member of the Appalachian College Advising Corps have been almost… nostalgic for me, though in a very unique way.

Advise NC
Cierra Smith

Life as an Adviser: Cierra Smith talks about working in Rural Appalachia
Jan 15, 2020

Oxford Dictionary defines rural as “In, relating to, or characteristic of the countryside rather than the town.” The Census Bureau defines rural as "any population,

Advise NC
Gilberto Ramirez

Upward Bound Alumni Spotlight: Gilberto Ramirez
Oct 26, 2017

Math has always been a piece of cake for Gilberto Ramirez, a freshman at Appalachian State University studying actuarial science.

Upward Bound
Abigail Luna

Upward Bound Alumni Spotlight: Abigail Luna
Oct 12, 2017

As she grew up, college was always a topic of conversation in Abigail Luna's house.

Upward Bound