Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs, GEAR UP, is a federally funded program that helps low-income students prepare for their future careers. This program falls under the umbrella of the Vermont Student Assistance Corporation, VSAC. Which is a nonprofit agency that helps Vermont students and families. Currently, this program serves around 2,500 Vermont students.

GEAR UP counselor Kassidy Moore summarizes the goal of GEAR UP as, “an opportunity for students to be provided with additional academic support, career exploration, and college and training support.”Moore has worked for GEAR UP for roughly two and a half years and supports students from many schools including: Blue Mountain Union School, Oxbow High School, and Riverbend Career and Technical Center. 

She is also a first-generation student who attended the University of Maine Farmington’17 where she received her bachelor’s in psychology before transferring to the University of Utah’19 for graduate school. As a student, she never benefited from the GEAR UP program, and recognized that many of her struggles throughout her high school and college years stemmed from her lack of support. After graduation, she settled as a school counselor for roughly four years until one of her co-workers introduced her to GEAR UP. Moore describes the transition from a public school employee to a GEAR UP counselor as “natural” since she was able to pursue her love of educating and helping students achieve their future goals.

Moore strongly recommends that all high schoolers get involved with GEAR UP, emphasizing that there is “no literal downside to it.” She believes that some people are drawn away from it due to a lack of understanding of what the program is and what it has to offer. She also addresses misconceptions about VSAC and GEAR UP, such as their focus centering around “selling student loans;” however, this is not the case. Additionally, students have mistaken the program to selectively target students who want to pursue a college career when, in reality, it’s for everyone. Even after graduation from high school, VSAC assists with any challenges that students may face during college or trade school. 

Furthermore, Moore wishes that she had become a part of GEAR UP earlier in her life, knowing what she knows now about it and how she loves what she does for work; especially developing close connections with several students. She hopes to spread the word about the amazing opportunities that VSAC has to offer as it can pave the road to success for all students.

Many students are benefiting from Moore’s efforts including those that have chosen pathways that have led them off campus in their senior year. BMU’s senior Addison Sanborn is currently enrolled in early college at the University of Vermont Lyndon Campus with the help of Kassidy. Sanborn says, “VSAC offered to help pay for books” and is, “just supportive of helping me with scholarships this year.”

You can contact Kassidy Moore for information on VSAC and or GEAR UP, you can contact her via email at [email protected]