Gear Up leaving Diego Rivera after 7-year grant ends

By Anthony V.

The Gear Up program is officially leaving the Diego Rivera Learning Complex next year, due to their seven-year grant ending.

The Gear Up 4 LA program is a “is a federally-funded program that works to address systemic barriers to postsecondary success and career options for students and families,” according to its website.

When asked about why it’s is leaving, Gear Up Counselor Ms. Angela Jimenez, said “we were a 7 year grant, funded through LAUSD, and we serviced our current seniors class of ’25, and class of ’24 since they were in middle school.”

She also shared that the grant will continue helping the class of 2025 through the summer.

With Gear Up leaving, she said, “our upcoming seniors will have to receive those services from either teachers, hopefully advisory teachers, and their college and career counselors from each school.” 

Ms. Jimenez said that school staff should help students create a plan for their future, whether it’s for work, military, or college.

Joshua A., a senior, said Gear Up provided a lot of support.

“They’ve helped me with, well, a lot through college apps, through financial aid. They also helped me with some stuff in tenth grade. I forgot what exactly it was but they helped with legal documents,” he said.

What’s more, he believes that future students will have a difficult time when it comes to completing college applications, especially for first generation college students, or students whose family members haven’t attended college in the U.S.

Marcos F., a senior, said that future seniors will “not [have] the same amount of good field trips and it’s going to be a difficult planning process.”