By Staff Writer, Sosseh Taimoorian
This year, Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) is working harder than ever before with new and improved ideas for the class of 2008 with Cathie Montoro as the new teacher specialist in replacement for Leroy Sherman.

GEAR UP has many activities for juniors due to the $500,000 grant written by the Director of Instructional Support Services Mike Seaton in 2003.
The GEAR UP grant is federal money used “to support more students and families to make college their goal and concern,” Montoro said.
Also, the GEAR UP grant will start a workshop called the Parent Achievement Academies, consisting of a small group of parents who will meet for a six-week seminar and will be informed of new GEAR UP activities and useful college information.
Montoro pointed out that this program is a “two-way street,” requiring feedback from parents in order to become productive and successful.
Other programs recently adopted include the GEAR UP Mentoring Project, whose goal is to have juniors serve as role models to freshmen by mentoring them. They will educate them about high school graduation, college entrance requirements, and how to make the most of their high school career. Montoro believes that “mentors grow as much as [the] mentees [do].”
Sarah Shin (’08), who attended the GEAR UP Mentoring Project Training at Glendale Community College, agrees with Montoro that “[mentors and mentees] grow together because they [are working] to serve a common purpose.”
The GEAR UP grant recently provided the PSAT on Oct. 21 to all juniors free of charge to help them prepare for the SAT’s, and will soon provide preparation classes available for students in the middle of second semester.
GEAR UP members participate in annual field trips to colleges and universities, and the most devoted mentors of the GEAR UP Mentoring Project will receive an overnight trip to a college to experience campus life.
With all this planning and preparation, Montoro states that being the new GEAR UP coordinator is truly a “full-time position.” Unfortunately, Montoro had to give up teaching Spanish because it was simply “very difficult to [be both