Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education

Kentucky students and educators honored at final GEAR UP Kentucky Institute

April 17, 2025

Front row: Devin Warmouth, Bourbon County High School; Alexandria Easton, Bath County High School; Natalie Basford, Augusta Independent School. Back row: Bryjuan Dyer, Mason County High School; Jared Ishmael, Fleming County High School; Gavin Profitt, Frankfort High School; Kaden Frederick, Paris High School. Not pictured: Kylee Butrick, Holmes High School; Joshua Heseman, Marion County High School; Alyssa Pittman, Mercer County Senior High School; Luke Gregg, Pendleton County High School; Hadleigh Linville, Robertson County School.

Students and staff from 12 Kentucky school districts were recognized by GEAR UP Kentucky on April 16, 2025, during its annual GEAR UP Kentucky Institute for a College-Going Culture, held at The Campbell House in Lexington. This year’s event carried the theme “Passing the Torch: Sustaining Student Success,” reflecting both a celebration of accomplishments and a call to action to continue fostering college-going cultures beyond the life of the grant.

The 2025 Institute marked the final statewide convening of the current GEAR UP Kentucky (GUK) federal grant project, which completed its seventh and final year. Funded by the U.S. Department of Education and administered by the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE), GEAR UP Kentucky provides a wide range of services to help students successfully transition to and through postsecondary education. During the current grant program, GUK has provided services in 12 school districts: Augusta Independent, Bath County, Bourbon County, Covington Independent, Fleming County, Frankfort Independent, Marion County, Mason County, Mercer County, Paris City, Pendleton County, and Robertson County. Additionally GEAR UP Kentucky has provided services to the graduates of these districts during their first year of postsecondary education at GUK’s nine partner institutions: Bluegrass, Elizabethtown, Gateway and Maysville Community & Technical Colleges; Eastern Kentucky University; Kentucky State University; Morehead State University; Northern Kentucky University; and University of Louisville.

During the event, one student from each participating high school was honored as a 2024–25 GEAR UP Kentucky Student of the Year:

To be selected as their school’s Student of the Year, each honoree had to serve as a GUK Student Ambassador, maintain good academic standing, and consistently demonstrate positive leadership at school, in GEAR UP activities, and among their peers.

“This year’s recognition of our students of the year was especially meaningful since they were juniors and seniors we had been working with since seventh grade,” said Kim Welch, executive director of GEAR UP Kentucky. “We watched them grow up to become outstanding young adults who, due in part to GEAR UP Kentucky, are well-prepared for their next step – whether that’s a short-term certification program or a two- or four-year college. It was an exciting moment for them -- and for us.”

Twelve district staff members were also recognized as GEAR UP Kentucky Champions of the Year for their exceptional commitment to student success and support of the GUK mission. These honorees included:

The event’s “Passing the Torch” theme and activities emphasized the importance of continuing the progress made over the past seven years -- ensuring that schools, communities, and students are equipped to carry the momentum forward in building lasting pathways to post-high school education and career success.

The current GEAR UP Kentucky grant is the fourth one administered by CPE; this is the 25th year that GEAR UP, which serves students and families in low-income communities, has been funded in Kentucky. Since 2000, GEAR UP Kentucky has served more than 66,000 students in 208 schools in 91 districts.

For more information about GEAR UP Kentucky, visit www.gearupky.org.

Last Updated: 4/17/2025