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Geared up for success
By Patrick Whitehurst
Special to the Sun
Sunday, September 17, 2006 10:10 AM CDT
First-generation college student Jessica Dademasch has a GEAR UP scholarship at NAU to help her get to Graduation Day.
Look up the word "driven" in the dictionary and you're likely to see a picture of Jessica Dademasch.
The Kingman High School graduate has always known she would go to college and, now that she's a freshman at Northern Arizona University, she's determined to prove herself. She plans to do what it takes to succeed, to make it, and rarely plans on free time.
She also has a leg up on some freshmen: Dademasch, 18, is a recipient of a federal GEAR UP scholarship aimed at improving the graduation rates of first-generation college students from economically depressed areas.
"When I was younger, (my family) helped put it in my head that I would go to college and make more money -- education is life," said Dademasch. "I don't do anything (fun) yet, I'm just trying to keep up before I fall behind, so I just try to study in my free time."
Though a freshman, she came to college with some experience under her belt. Dademasch took a summer English 101 course after graduating from high school. She also did quite well as a high school student.
"I graduated in the top 10 percent of my class. That was my goal throughout high school and I got it," said Dademasch.
She first heard of the GEAR UP program in seventh grade. She said the program didn't start to make sense, however, until the ninth grade, when the idea of college loomed on the horizon.
Dademasch served as baseball manager at Kingman High School, where she kept score and traveled with the team and even earned herself a membership in the National Honors Society. Between studies in high school, Dademasch attended GEAR UP classes in order to understand what the program offered.
"It was about college and I knew I wanted to go to college," said Dademasch.
Born in Pomona, CA, Dademasch moved to Arizona when she was in the fifth grade. Her parents separated nine years ago. John Dademasch works for a newspaper facility in Kingman, while Victoria Young, Jessica's mother, works as a nurse in Kingman.
Jessica floated between both homes prior to settling in to university life and travels to visit her parents and numerous siblings in Kingman frequently. Her grandmother died more than a year ago in a car accident on Interstate 40, while Dademasch was a senior in high school. Thanks to her, Dademasch is pursuing a degree in health care.
"I want to be in the medical field, but I can't work with needles and blood. I can't handle that. I can get it done, but I can't do it to other people. My grandmother was a pharmacy tech and she had interesting stories," said Dademasch.
Going to college has been stressful, said Dademasch, as money has been tight for her since she moved away from home. As she settles into campus life, she is considering a job on top of her full class load of five classes this semester. But she's also worried she may not be able to go back home to visit her family if she has to work on weekends.
The difference between college and high school, said Dademasch, is "more studying, less money and more responsibility."
"My mom's not right there. If I have a question I have to call her and try to get a hold of her while she's at work," said Dademasch.
Patrick Whitehurst can be reached at whitehurst1@peoplepc.com
NAU program worth $34M over 6 years
GEAR UP, which stands for "gaining early awareness and readiness for undergraduate programs," is a federal program designed to eliminate the dropout rate among students in economically depressed areas. Nearly 88 percent of GEAR UP participants graduated during the 2000 - 2006 GEAR UP drive, compared to the average of 67 percent, according to a press release from the office of Governor Janet Napolitano. Nearly 65 percent of the students, according to the release, are predominantly Latino and Native American, while 84 percent of the students are first-generation college prospects.
"We know that Arizona has talented young people who need additional support and adult mentoring to reach their potential during the teen years," said Governor Napolitano in the release. "GEAR UP provides the additional mentorship; support and high expectations that can help this population of first-generation college bound students succeed in school."
GEAR UP partners with local schools and school districts, along with Arizona State University and Northern Arizona University. NAU will receive $17 million through the federal grant, with in-kind contributions from community partners and schools to total $34 million over the next six years. Partners include the New York Times Knowledge Network, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Flagstaff, the Arizona College Scholarship Foundation and many others. According to NAU, approximately 130 GEAR UP graduates are now attending classes at NAU.
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