Erin Thompson (center), UGA’s campus manager for the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, helped students from Duluth Middle School during a scavenger hunt at a recent Gear Up for College event sponsored by the admissions office. (Photo by Joëlle Walls)

UGA’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions is reaching out to several Atlanta-area middle schools to provide students and their families with information about what is involved in applying to college.

“We are trying to reach students early who may be the first in their family to attend college, those whose families may not speak English or may be economically disadvantaged,” said Nancy McDuff, associate vice president for admissions and enrollment management. “We are working with these young students to help them understand the value of college and how to get started in the right direction, while getting them acquainted with UGA at the same time.”

This spring, admissions staff members visited the Drew Charter School at Eastlake, the Ron Clark Academy and two KIPP (Knowledge is Power Program) schools. The schools are using innovative methods to teach, inspire and motivate their students, according to McDuff.

In April, students from the Ron Clark Academy paid a visit to UGA that included a trip to the Russell Library, where they learned about UGA’s Foot Soldier Project for Civil Rights Studies and met Mary Frances Early, the first African-American student to earn a UGA degree.

Students from other selected middle schools that feed to high schools with large Hispanic populations also were invited to spend a day on campus during spring semester as part of the Gear Up for College program, a joint effort involving the admissions office and the Hispanic Scholarship Fund.

“Our middle school program opens up a world of college possibilities and lets students see first hand what it would be like to attend a four-year institution like UGA,” said Maritza Soto Keen, director of the Latino Initiative in the Office of the Vice President for Public Service and Outreach.

The response from students and teachers has been enthusiastic.

“These students had the experience of their lives at UGA,” said Nicole Colbert, Duluth Middle School graduation coach, following a campus visit. “They were exposed to all that UGA and college in general has to offer students, and particularly Latino students with strong academic backgrounds.”

Gear Up for College is a joint program of the Office of the Vice President for Public Service and Outreach and the Office of Admissions, funded through a grant from The Goizueta Foundation.