Life experiences make us who we are. We can all look back and think about a moment in time that affected us so deeply, so profoundly, it changed us forever. For some IDEA Public Schools GEAR UP students, that moment was when a small group of freshmen went on a college-visit trip of a lifetime through the Transformational College Field Lessons program. Our latest "Texas GEAR UP in Action" video provides a peek into the life-changing motivational program that gives TXGU'ers the rare chance to get up close and personal with some significant schools—in this case, the Ivy Leagues. 

With the goal of each student learning enough about the college to make an informed decision about attending, the IDEA GEAR UP crew visited a variety of schools able to fit the academic needs of each person in attendance. Carefully selecting universities for the trip, coordinators were sure to include a good mix of STEM and liberal arts programs when visiting campuses like MIT, Columbia, and Harvard. But there's a lot more to the trip than just hitting up the schools. Check out the video for checklists and some great advice from the IDEA educators. And if you're interested in jumpstarting your own students' futures, after you check out the video be sure to head over to the Toolbox for a plethora of planning tools to help get your TXGU'ers even more engaged.