Last year, the ACT Boot Camp was born through the GEAR UP program. This boot camp was aimed toward helping students, mostly juniors and seniors, prepare for the ACT test and life as a college student. It was such a success that a grant was written to the Utah System of Higher Education and the Step-Up Ready Grant was given to continue the program.
USU-Eastern adopted the program from GEAR UP and plans to host it annually with GEAR UP playing a leading role. This year’s boot camp played host to over 80 students, primarily from Carbon and Emery counties. A small group of students from San Juan and Grand counties were also in attendance.
College professors and high school teachers taught courses to the students, who then took practice ACT tests. Instruction was provided to the students on how to transition to college life, how to do well on the ACT, note taking strategies, study skills and more.
The students also participated in fun activities such as games and a service project that was completed through USUE’s Sun Center. The Desert Wave Pool provided passes for the students to swim and enjoy a pool party. The students were also given the opportunity to visit the local movie theater and watch either Wonder Woman or the newest instillation in the Pirates of the Caribbean films.
There was also a handful of guest speakers that attended to speak with the participants of the program. Katie Clifford, former Director of Apparel for the U.S. Olympics, Dr. Kyle Reyes, Special Assistant to the President for Inclusion and Reno Mahe, former NFL player and running back coach at BYU were the guest speakers for the boot camp.
A high school staff member contacted those in charge of the boot camp and gave a brief testimonial, stating that they were delighted to hear the stories of all of the friends the students made and the skills they acquired.
“Every student stated it was beneficial and helpful as they talked about their experiences all the way home,” the staff member stated.
