NATCHITOCHES – High school students from Negreet, Florien and Ebarb high schools attended a one-day intensive ACT Boot Camp at Northwestern State University March 3.
“Our goal is to help prepare these students for state-wide ACT testing planned for later this month,” said Steve Gruesbeck, executive director of La GEAR UP. “Students participated in interactive, hands-on workshops with NSU’s School of Education faculty, each focusing on one of the four ACT subject areas: English, Math, Reading, and Science.”
To open the event, the high schoolers visited with NSU faculty at booths to learn about job interviewing skills, resume writing and the academic and career opportunities that exist in Computer Information Systems (CIS); Fine + Graphic Arts; New Media, Journalism and Communication Arts and Nursing and Allied Health.
Louisiana GEAR UP (Louisiana Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) is a federally funded national initiative. NSU works with 16 school districts and the Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance (LOSFA) to increase the number of students who are prepared to enter and succeed in post-secondary education.
“Since 2020, through partnership with Louisiana GEAR UP, our project has delivered high-quality, no-cost ACT summer camps and preparatory workshops like this to more than 720 public school students across the state,” Gruesbeck said. “Our project also provides no cost registration for up to 95 Freshman Connection registrants. To qualify, they must register to attend the first three Freshman Connection sessions and attend a Louisiana GEAR UP or Louisiana Field Outreach High School. Sabine Parish public high schools are Louisiana GEAR UP schools.”
Conner Lofton of Florien High School learned about NSU’s Department of Psychology from Instructor Beverly Broadway during a departmental browse that opened the La GEAR UP ACT Boot Camp March 3. Students visited several departmental displays to learn about areas of study and career paths.
