GEARUP students visit CMU

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Around 800 sixth and seventh graders, their parents and teachers from Longfellow and McKinley middle schools in Flint visited CMU on Friday for an awards ceremony.
The Office of Minority Student Services in partnership with Flint community schools hosted this recognition day for the Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Program, GEARUP.
The ceremony began at 11:30 a.m. in Warriner Auditorium, during which the seventh-grade students were presented with the 21st Century Scholars Awards, signed by President Bill Clinton.
Gary Peer, vice provost for Academic Affairs and Edward Hansberry, state and federal programs director of Flint community schools, gave the welcome remarks.
Peer said it was his pleasure to welcome folks from the Flint area to visit Central’s campus.
“I hope you will have a great day and have a great GEARUP experience,” he said.
Hansberry said it is never too early to prepare for college life as well as a future career, so participation of the GEARUP program is a unique opportunity for students.
Ayayi Fubara Eneli, Minority Student Services director, gave an overview of the GEARUP program.
She said the program was enacted by Clinton in 1998.
GEARUP funds partnerships for high-poverty middle schools, colleges and universities, community organizations and businesses to work with entire grade levels of students, Eneli said.
“This program is designed to encourage and prepare all students for college, especially focused on students from low-income backgrounds.”
Last year, CMU and several other partners obtained a $1.9 million five-year grant from the U.S. Department of Education, which is used to target the seventh-grade students in Longfellow and McKinley Middle schools and work with them through graduation from Northern High School, Eneli said.
She said the partnership provided curriculum reform, technological assistance, professional development, Saturday and after-school programs, tutoring, mentoring, counseling, college visits and financial-aid workshops as well as college informational sessions and parent programs.
In addition to students and parents, teachers, schools and community members benefit from the GEARUP program, Eneli said.
“A college education is an important step in achieving success. … This program ensures that parents, teachers, students and the entire community work together to educate our students,” she said.
Laura Foster, CMU alumnae and numerous award recipient, served as the keynote speaker during the ceremony.
She advised students to always have a positive attitude and be committed to success.
Foster said youth should possess the power to see the invisible, to touch intangible things and dream their best dream.
“You should have confidence in your heart and only focus on what you are doing now. You shall have a victory and achieve your potential eventually.”
David Williams, Institutional Diversity assistant vice president, gave the closing remarks for the ceremony. He said he appreciated Flint-area students and teachers as well as CMU staff and faculty in participating in the GEARUP program.
Williams said he hopes students will have an opportunity to get a flavor of college life on the CMU campus through this program.
Other activities hosted by Central included a picnic in front of Warriner Hall, a dramatic presentation about college life and a campus tour by CMU students.
Calvin Orr, 12, Osai Robinson, 11, Kaprecia Ruffin, 11 and Toni Marshall, 13, are all sixth-grade students from McKinley Middle Schools and participants of the program.
Orr said he has never been to any other university before, so he felt very excited to visit CMU and learn some aspects about college life.
“This is an interesting trip and I feel encouraged to attend CMU in the future,” Robinson said.
Ruffin said although her parents told her something about CMU, she never visited it before, so “It is a great opportunity for me.”
Marshall said she had a good impression on Central and hopes to visit again.