Time to Relax!

BLOG POST

This month's blog was written by Janet Stake, Director, GEAR UP Programming & Outreach for the Nevada of System of Higher Education! You can read it here!

Junteenth Holiday

June 19th

When this issue of the Digest hits your inbox, you probably won't see it right away because it will arrive on Juneteenth, the newest federal and state holiday! Juneteenth, otherwise known as Freedom Day, commemorates the emancipation of enslaved people in the U.S. at the end of the Civil War. Several of our campuses have events planned to celebrate! Did you know it is customary to wear red and serve red-hued food and drink during these celebrations?

New Headshots!

Thanks go to Clare Cerda, GEAR UP Program Officer at NDE for taking all new headshots of our staff at the last NDE training. All new photos have been posted on the "Get to Know the Team" page on the website! Check them out!

NCCEP National Conference

July 21-24

It won't belong and many of us will be heading to the NCCEP National Conference in Washington, DC! NCCEP always brings in amazing keynote speakers and has a large number of breakout session as well as vendors that can help your program with many different areas of services. If possible, be sure to support Jana Burd, Jairon Castellanos-Boteo, and Janet Stake as they are presenting sessions during the conference!! Registration is open! We'll see you there!

SSA Summer Bridge

July 16-18

Everything is set for our new Summer Bridge program with SSA! The program was opened up to both juniors and seniors to increase participation. NSHE's Jana Burd and Jairon Castellanos-Boteo will be traveling with the students to Prescott, AZ for this event! We're excited to hear all about it!

Social Media

(For all students, parents, staff and supporters)

If you have any suggestions for our social media, let Jana or Janet know! We are open to new ideas to help grow our following! Don't forget to like and follow @gearupnv on any or all of our social media platforms! You can use the icons above to access the GEAR UP accounts. We would love for you to tag us and interact whenever possible!

#FutureBound at Bonanza

Last month our GEAR UP team at Bonanza High School collaborated with TRIO’s Educational Talent Search to celebrate their class of 2024 graduating students! Seniors were invited to share their post-high school plans while enjoying after school snacks and activities. From college to career goals, students were excited for their next steps! Other students were also welcomed to support and get a sneak peak to what they have to look forward to experiencing when they graduate high school. Student Success agency attended as well, taking time to remind students about their upcoming summer camp and answer any questions they may have. Shout out to Mrs. Tapia, Mrs. Apo, and Ms. Angelica for making this great event happen!

Congratulations to all of our GEAR UP graduates!!

Keeping UP with Kelly!

This month we will learn a little more about Kelly Briggs, FYCA at GBC! Thank you for being our interviewee this month, Kelly!

What drew you in to work for GEAR UP?: One constant throughout my career has been my interest in helping students figure out what they want to do and then to help them get there. Too often, we are afraid to dream because we don’t think that we will be able to achieve those dreams. To me, that is what GEAR UP is all about. Helping students learn to dream – but then to empower them to make those dreams come true.

How would you describe your experience living abroad?: Two words immediately come to mind. 1) Enlightening. I learned more about myself and the world than I could have in any other way. 2) Transformational. I don’t think that the person I was when I moved to China would recognize the person I have become. 

In your opinion, what is the best resource GEAR UP offers?: The people. In real estate, they say ‘location, location, location’. But in life, I think it is more appropriately ‘connections, connections, connections’. Often the key to overcoming an obstacle or finding a solution is knowing the right person. Or knowing someone who knows the right person. The bigger your network and the more connections you make, the more resources you have access to.

What advice would you give your younger self?: Trust in yourself. You are capable. Take the risk. Do the hard thing. Failing at something difficult does not make you a failure. It just means that you learn from that experience and try a different strategy. I was, and still am to a large degree, a perfectionist. I want to do things right, but what I have learned is that things aren’t going to be perfect the first time you do something. If it is, it was too easy and you aren’t challenging yourself to learn something new.

Give us a fun fact about Kelly!: I met my husband on vacation in Dahab – a small beach town on the Sinai peninsula in Egypt. I had been living in Egypt for 5 years and he had just moved there a month earlier. We lived in the same neighborhood in Cairo, but met Labor Day weekend when we both travelled to the same place for a long weekend. We started dating almost immediately and got engaged a year later – at the same place that we met!

Bouncing Baby Boys!

We are very excited to announce that our GEAR UP family has grown by two beautiful baby boys recently. In February, Durango Specialist, Rita Kundanani gave birth to her son and in May, Tawnie D'Angelo, FYCA at WNC, had her baby, also a boy, named Dax! Dax's arrival was a little bit of a surprise to us all as he came about 5 weeks early. All is well though and he is home with is proud and overjoyed Mom and Dad!

Congratulations Rita and Tawnie!

July Awareness Calendars