GEAR UP, LSYOU Students Attend Presidential Inauguration

Lindsay Southwick

January 20, 2009, marked one of the most anticipated Presidential inaugurations in history, as Barack Obama was officially sworn into office as the 44th President of the United States.

Washington, D.C. experienced an influx of an unprecedented number of visitors for the historical occasion, among them LSU College of Education’s own Kandra Colomb and students from LSYOU (Louisiana State Youth Opportunities Unlimited) and GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs).

Colomb, an advisor with the college’s GEAR UP program, worked in conjunction with the office of State Senator Yvonne Dorsey (D-14) and the Colomb Foundation in Lafayette to make this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity possible for students from across the state through various fundraisers and donations. There were a total of 55 students traveling to Washington, D.C. from the East Baton Rouge Parish School System, the New Orleans Recovery School District, and the Lafayette Parish School System.

Out of the 319 GEAR UP students Colomb advises, she selected 10 participants, including two LSYOU students from the New Orleans Recovery School District. Selection was based on the students’ participation in program activities, as well as on their academic standing.

 “I brag on all the students I work with; however these particular students are highly motivated. They are very diligent and work very hard,” says Colomb.

The group traveled by bus to the nation’s capital, enjoying educational activities, networking, and games along the way. Once in DC, they attended official inauguration events, as well as educational tours and meetings with Senator Dorsey, who traveled with them.

Before leaving, the students anxiously anticipated the trip. “It’s going to be fantastic. We’ll see history go down,” said DeMichael Walker, a freshman at Robert E. Lee High School.

In retrospect, the students and chaperones shared fond memories of the experience. “We had such a great time,” said Colomb. Gregory Turner, a ninth-grader at Baton Rouge Magnet High School, shared Colomb’s sentiments and added that he is “thankful that Senator Yvonne Dorsey and the Colomb Foundation have done this.”

Parents were especially pleased to see their children have this opportunity. “Usually you wouldn’t have a chance to do something like this. Mrs. Colomb made it possible. GEAR UP has been such a blessing for my daughter,” said Gladys Hampton, mother of participant Cierra Hampton, a freshman at Robert E. Lee High School.

Colomb was thrilled about providing this chance, but regretted that she was limited to taking only 10 students this year. She added that there will be more opportunities to engage GEAR UP students with other students throughout the state in the future.

GEAR UP is a partnership of school systems and community organizations led by the LSU College of Education. The program addresses the issues of middle and high school retention and graduation, as well as access to and success in postsecondary education and careers. Funded through a $5.4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education, the GEAR UP partnership works with a cohort of more than 1,200 students originally from five academically challenged middle schools in both the East Baton Rouge Parish and City of Baker School Systems.  Participating students are now in more than 12 high schools in several of the area school districts. The program is designed to ensure that the students, their families, and their teachers receive the services aimed at college-readiness and access provided by GEAR UP. 
Five full-time GEAR UP advisors and five part-time parent liaisons work together with a number of community organizations to meet the individual needs of each GEAR UP student, family, and teacher through a case-managed approach. 

LSYOU is funded by the East Baton Rouge Parish Workforce Investment Board (WIA 21), the Tangipahoa Consortium Workforce Investment Board (WIA 20), the City of New Orleans Job 1, the AT&T Foundation, and through private donations received by the Irene W. & C.B. Pennington Foundation. The program assists middle school and junior high students who are at risk for dropping out of school. Students participate in a five-week summer residential program on the LSU campus consisting of studying, working, and participating in recreational activities, introducing students to the college experience.  The program continues to support the students in their high schools through mentoring, tutoring, personal and family counseling, and attending weekend retreats at LSU. LSYOU, which is in its 23rd year of operation, has been recognized with numerous awards, including Outstanding Drop-out Prevention Project in 2003 from the Harvard Family Research Project.

The Colomb Foundation, based in Lafayette, La., is a non-profit service organization established in memory of Dené Colomb, a 2002 victim of a south Louisiana serial killer. The Foundation strives to reduce crimes of opportunity by teaching habits of personal safety, to promote women's health through programs encouraging early breast cancer detection, and to foster the love of knowledge and reading by publishing and distributing a carefully crafted series of free books for young readers.

Angela Owings Broussard | College of Education
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