GEAR UP Wyoming

Wyoming Department of Education > For Parents & Students > GEAR UP Wyoming

About the Program

Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) is a federally funded, statewide grant in Wyoming. The GEAR UP Wyoming (GUWY) state grant uses the priority student model for serving a minimum of 2,000 students each year from schools located across the state of Wyoming. Its strategic plan is focused on creating and utilizing statewide initiatives to foster systemic and long-term sustainable improvement in teaching to and learning of low-income, at-risk Wyoming students. The mission of GUWY is to increase the number of low-income students who graduate high school and enter a post-secondary educational institution to improve their access to career and life opportunities. In order to accomplish this mission, GUWY focuses on the priority students with the three goals of improving their academic achievement, raising their academic aspirations along with those of their families, and increasing their awareness of the options in pursuing enrollment in higher education.

GEAR UP Wyoming has partnered with the Wyoming Department of Education (WDE) to leverage the Department’s statewide initiatives for increasing student achievement among low performing, at-risk students with GUWY’s focus on low-income middle school and high school students. These statewide initiatives reflect the need for systemic change across the public education system by providing strategic interventions to students and professional development for teachers.

Contact Information: 

WDE Office

GEAR UP Manager
Bambi Sell
(307) 777-8979
bambi.sell@wyo.gov

University of Wyoming Office

Grant Manager
Rick Matlock
(307) 766-6733
rick.matlock@uwyo.edu

Coordinator- Student Programming
Garrett Vasquez
(307) 766-6528
mvasqu10@uwyo.edu

Coordinator- Professional Development
Vacant
Contact Grant Manager

Accountant
Kaitlyn Brown
(307) 766-6540
kbrow136@uwyo.edu

Coordinator – Data Management and Compliance
Sean Hauser
(307) 766-6736
chauser3@uwyo.edu

Scholarship Specialist
Jacque Graef
(307) 766-6189
jgraef@uwyo.edu

Casper College Site Office

Andrea Covert
(307) 268-2842
andrea.covert@caspercollege.edu

Central Wyoming College Site Office

Tami Shultz
(307) 855-2033
tshultz@cwc.edu

Eastern Wyoming College Site Office

Chelsea Ballard
(307) 532-8269
cballard@ewc.wy.edu 

Laramie County Community College Site Office

Justine Essex
(307) 778-1239
gearup@lccc.wy.edu

Northern Wyoming Community College District Site Office

Denise Scammon
(307) 675-0150
dscammon@sheridan.edu

Northwest College Site Office

Callee Erickson
(307) 754-7822
Callee.erickson@nwc.edu 

Western Wyoming Community College Site Office

Brooke Watts
(307) 382-1659
bwatts@westernwyoming.edu

Resources