NV GEAR UP Digest August 2023

Nevada GEAR UP Digest

August 2023

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Greetings!

WOW! It's August!!

It's back to school time!! While some people may dread this time of year, we are excited to kick off Year 5 of GEAR UP events and activities! This also a time to welcome new staff the the GEARU P NV team. Meet them below!

Fun fact: the sunflower picture used here was created using generative AI. It's like ChatGPT but for images. It's not real but it sure looks like it is! The one used here was through Adobe's Firefly which has recently become available in a beta version.

BLOG POST

This month's blog was written by Nevada Department of Education's Education Programs Professional, Javier Smith! You can read it here!

NDE Fall Training

August 15 & 16

As this issue of the Digest is hitting your inbox, the GEAR UP NV team is wrapping up the NDE Fall Training session! The two-day training included topics such as consistent entries into the GEARS database

NSHE Team Building Day!

August 16 & 17

Unfortunately, this activity had to be postponed. We will try to schedule it during one of the fair weeks in Las Vegas coming up this September/October.

Kick Off Events!

August-September

Stay tuned for information for our upcoming Kick Off events at our high schools! Student Success Agency will most likely be on hand once again to amp up the energy and excitement! The Kick-Offs are happening at each school on the following days. Most are running the full school day:

-Clark HS - Aug. 28, 29, 31 and Sept. 1

-Durango HS - Aug. 29 & 30

Pahrump Valley HS - TBA

Bonanza HS - Aug. 30 & 31

-Mineral - TBA

Social Media

(For all students, parents, staff and supporters)

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!

GEAR UP NV at NCCEP National Conference!

The Nevada GEAR UP team was well represented this year at the NCCEP/GEAR UP Annual Conference in San Francisco, CA! Over a dozen of our staff members were able to enjoy guest speakers, learn from many presentations, and reflect with colleagues from around the country on the impact, importance, and future of GEAR UP. We had 3 staff members present on various topics throughout the conference: College Coordinator Jana Burd, Specialist Amanda Tapia, and ASPIRE Director Nicole Stella. Aside from conference work, the team was able to network and connect with our program partners Student Success Agency and Paradigm Shift. Overall, the conference was a successful professional development opportunity for our team, and we look forward to Washington, DC in 2024!

Welcome Kinsey!!!

After being vacant for some time, we are finally able to welcome a new First Year College Advisor at UNR, Kinsey Minter! Kinsey will be working out of the UNR southern office to help us serve the largest population of GEAR UP students but she will also head to Reno from time to time to service UNR college freshmen and students at Mineral County High School. Kinsey is a graduate of UNR having earned her BS in Human Development and Family Studies as well as a master's in Educational Leadership. Kinsey also previously worked at UNR in Student Conduct, New Student Initiatives, and at one of the Student Success Centers.

We are happy to have you as part of the team, Kinsey!

Look Who is the New Specialist at Durango!

We are so excited!! With Donovan Stewart's promotion to Assistant Principal at Durango High School (YAY Donovan!), Durango was looking for a new GEAR UP Specialist. We are so happy that one of our original Specialists, Rita Kundanani is returning to our GEAR UP program and filling the spot vacated by Donovan.

Welcome back, Rita!!

Photos from the NCCEP National Conference!

If not otherwise noted, questions regarding content in this Digest should be directed to:

Janet Stake, NSHE GEAR UP Director, Programming and Outreach

jstake@nshe.nevada.edu

Funded by USDE Nevada State GEAR UP Grant #P334S190009