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Showcase: Building Leaders and Mentoring the Next Generation of Young Men of Color

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Showcase: Building Leaders and Mentoring the Next Generation of Young Men of Color

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I learned how mentorship can really make a difference for young men of color, especially through the Young Male Mentoring Program (YMMP). The program focuses on overall wellness while breaking down negative stereotypes and giving mentees a safe space to grow. It helps them build leadership skills, connect with their community, and get real-life opportunities like job shadowing and internships. With monthly focus areas, tutoring, and strong mentor-mentee relationships, the program has led to big wins—better grades, career readiness, and a stronger sense of confidence and well-being.

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Dilligence Training (Male Mentoring Program at GU East Hartford)

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Remembering the impact of the work we do and not to get distracted from the powers that may be from doing what we know is right for our students and teachers. They deserve the best us!

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18 Strategies to Organize Your Life" for those who are interested

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18 Strategies to Organize Your Life" for those who are interested

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Organize my life better. I am implementing the Microsoft Planner tool over the next month to see how I like it.

Considering it as a topic for all-staff

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Showcase: Sharing Strategic Tools & Best Practices

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Showcase: Sharing Strategic Tools & Best Practices

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Considering the tools of the Fishbone diagram or SMART Goals to help break down and determine the best way to accomplish Goals or understand the why behind the barriers that may exist with struggling goals.

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More considerate about what strengths students want to share about themselves. More intentional about the type of real world activities/questions in lessons that require students to bring in their personal experiences to not be trauma inducing.

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Discussion Lab: What Do Middle School Students Need?

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Discussion Lab: What Do Middle School Students Need?

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One of the activities we did that I think it might be a great activity for the summer workshop is to have students look at the different types of students they may serve and then consider their approach to those students.

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This session made me grateful for the excellent resources we have at K20 to learn about and effectively use AI. I was inspired to dig deeper into how to create effective prompts and share this information with my teachers.

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GEAR UP 101: Laying the Foundation for an Effective Communications Plan

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This session talked a lot about simplifying communication, especially in text. A helpful tool they introduced was hemingwayapp.com, which helps to point out sentences, etc. that can be simplified to make writing more concise and easy to understand. The session pointed out that more than half of adults read at a middle school level or below, so that's an important statistic to keep in mind.

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Keynote: Building Promising Pathways to Success: Why GEAR UP Works

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Keynote: Building Promising Pathways to Success: Why GEAR UP Works

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I learned that student success is shaped by much more than just academics—it’s also influenced by social, financial, and emotional factors. One of the biggest keys to success is a sense of belonging, which is a fundamental need for students to feel valued and supported. GEAR UP plays a crucial role in fostering this belonging by creating an environment where students feel heard, connected, and empowered to succeed.

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GEAR UP 101: Laying the Foundation for an Effective Communications Plan

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This section talked about the importance of keeping communication simple and concise, especially in text. They introduced hemingwayapp.com as a tool to help you see your sentences that are overly complex and simplify them to make them easier to understand. The presenters pointed out that over half of adults read at a middle school level or below, which is an important statistic to keep in mind when communicating via text, email, flyers, etc.

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Showcase: The Power of Student Voices-Highlighting GEAR UP’s Success

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Showcase: The Power of Student Voices-Highlighting GEAR UP’s Success

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Boosting student voice on social media is a great way to get more engagement and build community. Facebook can be used to keep parents and families in the loop, while Instagram and TikTok are perfect for student-led content like event promos and “day in the life” takeovers. Getting students involved in making videos, celebrating college acceptances, and even starting an alumni program can help create stronger connections with the community and promote our program. Using different platforms—Twitter for educators, LinkedIn for professional stuff, and YouTube for a bigger audience—makes sure everyone stays in the know!

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GEAR UP 101: Core Tenets of Family Engagement 

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GEAR UP 101: Core Tenets of Family Engagement 

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Family engagement works best when we recognize parents' strengths rather than assuming a lack of interest. Instead of pushing our own agenda, we should tap into their knowledge and experiences, possibly by inviting them as guest speakers. Understanding what parents are familiar with requires open communication and consideration of adult learning principles like self-concept, motivation, and experience. Ultimately, the culture we create shapes the climate for meaningful family involvement.

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GEAR UP 101: Laying the Foundation for an Effective Communications Plan

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GEAR UP 101: Laying the Foundation for an Effective Communications Plan

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I learned that an effective communications plan requires identifying the right audience, understanding what they need, and choosing the best way to reach them. Setting SMART goals, crafting clear and culturally competent messages, and using a mix of in-person, digital, print, and phone communication methods are key steps. Repetition is essential, as people need to see a message multiple times to remember it. Also, evaluating the plan through both data and audience feedback helps refine and improve outreach efforts.

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Keynote: Confronting Trauma Narratives in College Admissions Essays

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Keynote: Confronting Trauma Narratives in College Admissions Essays

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This session made me think about how college admissions essays often push students, especially from marginalized backgrounds, to frame their stories around trauma just to prove they belong. Many students feel pressured to write about hardship because it seems like the only way to stand out, while others struggle to balance authenticity with expectations. Admissions officers recognize the impact these essays have—not just on students but on those reading them—raising the need for more transparency, better essay prompts, and a shift toward celebrating students’ full identities beyond just their struggles.

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Discussion Lab: Ask the Communications Experts

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Discussion Lab: Ask the Communications Experts

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Considering using Canva to add K20 videos for advertisement purposes or creating an overview of what is GEAR UP for our schools.

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This definitely reminded me that we're a part of a bigger movement, and what we're doing matters!

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SEL in Action: Using Motivational Interviewing to Elicit Behavior Change

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SEL in Action: Using Motivational Interviewing to Elicit Behavior Change

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I learned about Motivational Interviewing and found some good tools for leading my teachers from being resistant to change into creating personalized plans and working towards development

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This reminded me how difficult the road to college is for undocumented students. There were some really good resources given that I plan to keep and distribute to interested teachers.

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What give you energy and what depletes your energy?!

And "No." is a full sentence.

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There are many ways to demonstrate strength and grit. Forcing or expecting students to write about traumatic experiences is not the way to do it. This reminded me of the Winter Sidequest that I worked on with Natalie, which leads students through finding an appropriate topic and developing their college essays

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Mobilization through GEAR UP: In the Name of Educational Equity, Access, and Justice

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Mobilization through GEAR UP: In the Name of Educational Equity, Access, and Justice

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This reminded me to evaluate and keep in mind the privilege and resources I've been given and put myself into the shoes of the students we are serving. Many of them were not encouraged to go to college, many don't understand how to get there. This will be helpful when advising the teachers of these students, whether they are urban or rural, and think through the specific challenges they face.

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I'm reminded to evaluate how I begin my days. I need to create a routine of energy and positivity if that's what I want to see in my life and bring to my coworkers and teachers.

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Leading yourself is the hardest part of leadership, and it takes a mixture of realism, optimism, and hope. Instead of just managing your time, focus on managing your energy—find what puts you in flow and fuels you. Set boundaries with technology, learn to say "no," and practice staying calm so you don’t burn out. At the end of the day, your mindset shapes your peace and joy.

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Brittany- GEAR UP 101: Nurturing a College-Going Culture for Deeper Engagement, Involvement, and Collective Buy-In

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Brittany- GEAR UP 101: Nurturing a College-Going Culture for Deeper Engagement, Involvement, and Collective Buy-In

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Pulling teeth on this session a bit but thought on how to share digital info about GEAR UP: Champion | CFWV Connect

College Application and Exploration Week | CFWV Connect

21st Century Scholars - CFWV.com

Higher Education Readiness Officers - West Virginia Gear Up

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Interesting info about the challenges of serving rural schools, especially in-person. I learned that we have a really cool resource on LEARN to help counselors, etc., at schools help students have success with concurrent enrollment (Concurrent Enrollment Tool Kit).

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Session 1 - Crafting Messages that Matter: Reaching the Right Audience

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Session 1 - Crafting Messages that Matter: Reaching the Right Audience

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Questions to ask yourself before crafting messages

Who is my audience?

Is the tone appropriate for the audience?

What is the main purpose of the message?

Is the message clear, concise, & accessible?

Is the timing right?

What is the call to action?

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Session 1: Catalyzing Change in Middle School Mathematics

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Session 1: Catalyzing Change in Middle School Mathematics

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Focus on developing thought processes and problem-solving skills. Show students where math is used in the real world. Many students don't believe that they'll ever use any math after school.

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Session 2: GEAR UP 101: Best Practices in Advising and Coaching

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Session 2: GEAR UP 101: Best Practices in Advising and Coaching

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Coaching focuses on growing skills. Advising focuses on bringing services and walking someone through a process

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Partners in Success: Communicating Effectively with Families

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Partners in Success: Communicating Effectively with Families

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Strong family engagement improves student success by boosting grades and attendance. Effective communication means meeting families where they are, understanding their goals, and building relationships. Interactive events like storytelling nights, cultural dinners, and family vision boards honor diversity and strengthen connections.

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I was able to learn more about how our family team decides which activities to do with families within our school communities as students advance through each year of the grant cycle. The session also talked about key data points to look at and collect for family teams. They also discussed best practices for communication with parents to get them more involved in students’ education.

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Keynote: Be Mindful of a person's  circumstances and experiences

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Keynote: Be Mindful of a person's  circumstances and experiences

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This session was a good reminder for me to be mindful when posing questions during my interactions with teachers or in lessons that I write for LEARN. I have to consider not just how I would answer or interpret the question, but how it would be responded to by others as well.

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I think this session led to some good discussion during activities while in breakout rooms. It was a helpful exercise to go through since we are working with middle school teachers right now. The activity that Brittany mentioned in her post was the highlight for me as well. The activity involved considering the needs of students with different circumstances and meeting them where they are. We have to do this with our teachers and encourage them to do the same with their students.

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The speaker in this session posed some great questions for the participants to consider. My main takeaway from the session was to double down on all of my efforts at K20 to try and make postsecondary education as accessible as possible for all students. Like Corrie mentioned in her post, I had the privilege of growing up in a financially stable household with parents who encouraged me to go to college and speak with counselors about scholarship opportunities. Many of the GEAR UP students that we work with may not have that same luxury, so I need to do everything I can to promote and encourage students to pursue postsecondary education/career opportunities.

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My main takeaway from this session was to make sure that I tailor the content and tone of my communications to my audience every single time. Clarity and transparency are more important than sounding eloquent all the time, which is something that I feel like I can be better about moving forward.