POTSDAM — A new long-term co-op internship program being piloted at SUNY Potsdam is covering the cost of in-state tuition. It’s also giving focused students a suite of skills, college
POTSDAM â Pandemic or no pandemic, SUNY Potsdam womenâs hockey players, members of the menâs lacrosse team and others are among a dozen athletes helping Malone Central School District students understand their options for college and what it takes to excel as a student athlete.
Although COVID-19 has changed the way things are done â with students and mentors interacting virtually through computer screens â it hasnât changed the purpose of Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP), now in its second year of a five-year initiative with Malone students. Mentors are helping students in grades six through nine explore ways to get excited about college degrees, sports and career readiness. Along the way, the athletes themselves are learning how to facilitate conversations for teaching and building the essential skills of teamwork, agility, resilience, networking, leadership, and goal setting.