February 4, 2004

Nationally Known Motivational Speaker Jason R. Dorsey
Headlines GEAR UP Educational Family Retreat, February 14

By Michael Dabney

Educational motivator Jason Ryan Dorsey, whose innovative strategies for increasing student performance and parental involvement in education have been featured on NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s The View, and Chicken Soup for the Soul, will be the keynote speaker at the first annual GEAR UP Family Educational Retreat, Saturday, February 14.

The event, sponsored jointly by the University of California, San Diego, and the California Student Opportunity and Access Program (Cal-SOAP), will be held from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Marriott Mission Valley Hotel, 8757 Rio San Diego Drive, San Diego.

GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) is a federally funded college preparatory program for students from low-income families, in addition to students who will be the first in their families to attend college, and students from schools with low college-going rates. Locally, through a collaborative effort, UCSD’s Office of Student Affairs, and Cal-SOAP administer GEAR UP programs at Crawford High School and Gompers Secondary School in the San Diego Unified School District, at Sweetwater High School in the Sweetwater School District, and at Pauma School in the Valley Center School District.

The upcoming Educational Family Retreat is intended primarily for parents and students involved in these local GEAR UP programs.

In addition to the keynote address by Dorsey, the retreat will also feature the latest information on college admissions requirements for the University of California, California State and area two-year colleges, and timely details on available college financial aid (including scholarships) and how to apply. Free transportation and food will be provided.

For more information on the retreat, and to register, contact the Cal-SOAP office at (858) 569-1866. Space is limited to the first 75 parents.

Media Contact: Michael Dabney, (858) 822-3432