GEAR UP Achieve camp offers rising high schoolers a glimpse into college life

The summer between middle school and high school is a unique time for students. With eighth-grade culmination behind them and the prospect of high school ahead, some students choose to spend the summer growing their skills, both academic and social.

For 27 GEAR UP Achieve students from throughout the state of Alabama, that growth took place on the Auburn campus over the course of the weeklong GEAR UP Achieve residential summer camp.

The 2025 camp marked the second annual residential summer camp experience offered by GEAR UP Achieve, a federally funded initiative led by Auburn's College of Education and University Outreach. The camp, which is offered at no cost to GEAR UP Achieve students, emphasizes academic enrichment, college planning and career exploration by day, while students enjoy evening social and recreational activities with their peers and camp counselors.

For some, camp is their first time glimpsing life as a college student: living in residence halls, sharing a room with someone new, eating in campus dining facilities. But it's also an excellent opportunity for students to step out of their comfort zone.

"The Auburn camp was such a great experience," said Zoe Black, a rising ninth-grade student from Section High School in Hollywood, Alabama, who plans to study veterinary medicine in college. "I got to experience what it's like to be a college student on a college campus for a week at just 14 years old. I was a little nervous at first but I'm so happy with how it went.

"For me, a highlight from the camp was getting to learn more about various college campuses and go to all these different places and learn what they have to offer for my education."

 

Camp Highlights

While on campus, campers were exposed to various programs in the School of Kinesiology, including the practice of mindfulness and careers in physical therapy. Discussions with an athletic trainer from Tuskegee University highlighted careers in sports management and sports medicine. Students tried their hands at building a public awareness campaign with Education’s Department of Curriculum and Teaching.

Through sessions with GEAR UP Achieve partners, such as The Connell School of Writing and Alabama Possible, students experienced the many different student-oriented facilities campus has to offer while improving writing skills and increasing their awareness of financial aid, scholarships and standardized test prep. Students also took part in a professional resume photoshoot and through a guided exercise on personal branding, they evaluated how one’s digital footprint might follow them into adulthood.

A field trip to Southern Union State Community College (SUSCC) in Opelika offered campers access to hands-on STEM activities and an in-depth tour of the Center for Integrated Manufacturing, where faculty presented various two-year academic STEM programs that could lead to successful career paths with various well-known brands, including software companies and automotive manufacturers.

SUSCC nursing students walked campers through placement of an NG tube and checking the pulse of life-like mannequin patients in the Health Sciences Simulation Laboratories.

Many students cited the field trip to Montgomery as their favorite day of the weeklong camp. While in the state’s capital city, the group spent the morning reflecting on American history at the Equal Justice Initiative’s Legacy Museum. The afternoon was spent at Montgomery Whitewater learning about the operation of the outdoor recreation facility and the various career options that exist to run the park, from engineering and retail, guiding and hospitality and everything in between.

'A Great Opportunity'

“I’ve loved it here at camp — I've gotten to meet new people and new friends. It’s fun and we’ve done and seen a lot of stuff that I wouldn’t have been able to do at home,” said Jessean Patterson, a rising ninth-grade student from Brundidge, Alabama, who will attend Pike County High School in the fall and has plans to study law and become an attorney. “This is such a great opportunity. A lot of people don’t get chances like this to participate in such a great program.”

Established in fall 2023 at Auburn, GEAR UP Achieve is a seven-year grant that follows a select cohort of current rising ninth-grade students through their high school years and into their first year of postsecondary education or career path to help ensure greater career and college readiness and success. Scholarships to accredited institutions of higher education will be available to students who complete the GEAR UP Achieve program. GEAR UP Achieve at Auburn offers a wide range of summer camp experiences to expose students to college campuses and help expand academic skills at no cost.

Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) is a federally funded initiative designed to help students prepare for and succeed in education and training beyond high school. By increasing career and college readiness, GEAR UP contributes to a stronger workforce and economic growth. The program helps prepare students for the demands of the 21st-century job market, benefiting both individuals and the local and national economy.