Student Experience
UC Santa Cruz GEAR UP and PVUSD mark 25 years of advancing student success
Since 2000, the partnership has provided tens of thousands of local students with academic guidance, family engagement, and strong community connections to help them prepare for college.
PVUSD students attend College Signing Day at UC Santa Cruz.
This year marks 25 years of collaboration between the Pajaro Valley Unified School District (PVUSD) and UC Santa Cruz’s GEAR UP program, part of the Educational Partnership Center. Since 2000, the program has served thousands of PVUSD students, many of them the first in their families to go to college, by offering guidance, resources, and encouragement to help them take the next academic step after high school.
In the 2023-24 school year, PVUSD GEAR UP assisted nearly 78 percent of seniors in completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or the California Dream Act application. Since 2018, the share of students meeting A–G college admissions requirements has grown by 10 percentage points, and more than 85 percent of students demonstrated advanced knowledge of college options and financial planning.
Dr. Heather Contreras, PVUSD superintendent, shared her appreciation for the program’s impact, observing that “GEAR UP helps level the playing field for our students by filling critical gaps in college readiness and access. It ensures all students and their families have the tools and receive the guidance needed to pursue higher education and long-term success.”
Pajaro Valley students head to college
The data comes to life through the stories of local students.
Carlos, a Pajaro Valley High School graduate, was accepted to UC Berkeley but his family hesitated because of cost and distance. After a one-on-one meeting with GEAR UP staff, they understood his financial-aid award and gained the confidence to say yes.
Another PVHS graduate, now studying animal science at Cal Poly with dreams of becoming a veterinarian, credits GEAR UP with guiding them through the application process. “I can’t help but remember how much PVHS GEAR UP supported me, both then and throughout the school year, as I got ready for graduation and college life.”
For one Watsonville High School English language learner, the idea of college once felt impossible. Through campus visits, encouragement, and ongoing mentoring, GEAR UP helped them see themselves in higher education. This fall, they will begin their first year at Cabrillo College, taking the first steps toward a future they once thought out of reach.
A program rooted in the community
Part of GEAR UP’s success in PVUSD comes from the longevity of its team. Many staff members grew up in the Pajaro Valley and share cultural and community ties with the students they serve.
“Our team members often stay with a grant from start to finish,” said Raul Ebio, GEAR UP staff member. “That consistency builds the relationships students and families need to navigate big decisions about their futures.”
UC Santa Cruz Chancellor Cynthia Larive said the partnership is about much more than getting students into college. It is about giving them the confidence and opportunities they need to succeed once they get there. “For 25 years, UC Santa Cruz and PVUSD have worked side by side to help students imagine what’s possible for their futures — and to give them the tools and resources to make those futures a reality.”
UC Santa Cruz’s Educational Partnership Center serves more than 3,600 students annually through GEAR UP. Since 2000, the center has secured 10 federal GEAR UP grants totaling more than $70 million and maintains an annual operating budget of more than $5.3 million to support students across the region. In addition to GEAR UP, the center is the home of seven additional college-access programs. It also leads the Central Coast K-16 Regional Collaborative, bringing together UCs, CSUs, community colleges, and school districts, across the Central Coast to strengthen college and career pathways to address long-standing educational and economic inequities.
Together, PVUSD and UC Santa Cruz GEAR UP have created opportunities that will inspire and support the next generation of students.
For more information about GEAR UP and its initiatives in PVUSD, please visit https://epc.ucsc.edu/programs/gearup/.