Written by Hollie Conger

Oregon counties, Morrow and Umatilla, may be new to the OSU Juntos family, but Eastern Oregon communities are already seeing the positive impact of the college and career workshops.

Fall 2016, Riverside Junior/Senior High School began their first set of Juntos sessions. Since then, more than 50 other students attended workshops focusing on financial aid, college essay writing, and resume building. Umatilla High School also had the opportunity to participate in college resume and essay workshops. 22 students attended in early January and 19 families are currently enrolled to start classes this week.

Looking ahead, Irrigon High School in Morrow County will begin Juntos in March 2017. To help provide childcare funding and meals for these programs, Juntos will be partnering with the GEAR UP programs in Oregon and Washington. GEAR UP - which stands for Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs - helps prepare Oregon's low-income middle school and high school students for success in postsecondary education by creating a college-going culture through technical assistance, educator professional development, and summer student opportunities.