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The Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) grant, awarded by the U.S. Department of Education, is a partnership with Duval County Public Schools (DCPS) and four community organizations: Communities in Schools, Florida State College at Jacksonville, I am Star Foundation, and the ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ’s SOAR School Counseling M.Ed. program. The SOAR program was awarded $1.6 M to help DCPS students from low-income backgrounds navigate the journey from grade seven (7) to undergraduate programs. This 2021 – 2027 GEAR UP grant is the sixth award for the SOAR program since 1999 and builds upon the rich legacy of collaboration between ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ COEHS and DCPS to increase college access and success for local students while nurturing the leadership talent of future educators.

The ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ-SOAR branch of the GEAR UP partnership serves a cohort of 750 middle school students across 10 local schools through early intervention programs, including early career exploration, career fairs, individual and small group mentoring, a career representative speaker series and youth leadership development for participating DCPS and ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ students. This new award is expected to continue yielding demonstrable gains on education outcomes among participating middle school students such as passing challenging pre-algebra classes, improving average daily attendance and parental engagement, and setting aspirations for post-secondary options.

To learn about paid mentoring opportunities as a College-Career Navigator (CCN), .

To learn about the SOAR program, . 

For more information, email us at SchoolCounseling@unf.edu or  for an online meeting.