If you’ve never been to a college campus, or if you don’t know someone who has gone to college, it can be hard to imagine yourself getting a degree.
UW-Milwaukee sophomore Suheidy Montenegro Nevarez is the first in her family to go to college. Participating in the M-Cubed program while attending Reagan High School got her on UWM’s campus, and earning college credits helped her ease the transition and envision a promising future.
“The support helped me feel at home and get oriented,” she said. “I met with success coaches and got resources I needed to succeed. I felt secure that those resources were there for me. Now I’m able to offer the (college) support to my younger siblings that I didn’t have.”
Montenegro Nevarez talked about her experience at a launch event for ROAR Ready, a learning pathway at UWM announced this week that will help K-12 students and their families pursue new interests, prepare for college and explore career options.
The idea is to offer students and their families or caretakers opportunities to connect with the university well before traditional college age, and to prepare them for college life and their future careers.
UWM offers more than 200 unique, age‑appropriate programs and engagement opportunities for youth across the region –- from College for Kids & Teens to campus tours to planetarium visits. ROAR Ready, which stands for a Roadmap for Opportunity, Achievement and College Readiness, brings those opportunities together under a single, coordinated framework that helps students and families navigate resources, track milestones and maintain long‑term engagement with the university.
Many Milwaukee area K-12 students and families lack consistent access to structured academic enrichment, career exploration and college‑readiness resources. These gaps can lead to challenges in preparedness, confidence and persistence as students transition to higher education.
“The academic journey doesn’t begin on move-in day,” said UWM Chancellor Thomas Gibson. “It begins when young people and their families first step onto campus and start to see themselves here. ROAR Ready ensures those early experiences are intentional, welcoming and connected, and that they help students imagine a future in higher education from the very start.
Feeling like home
ROAR Ready empowers young learners to build their brightest future and discover a place to call home.
“Families tell us they want to support their students, but the pathway to college can feel complicated and overwhelming,” said Marc Young, UWM chief recruitment and outreach officer and executive director of undergraduate admissions. “ROAR Ready simplifies that journey by creating one clear roadmap, one place where students can explore, grow and stay connected to UWM year after year.”
ROAR Ready programming is organized around three pillars:
- Academic enrichment, to build core skills in reading, math and science through hands-on learning.
- Career exploration, to discover a wide range of career options through practical, engaging activities.
- Belonging, to develop a stronger sense of identity and community through campus experiences and peer connections.
“Belonging is a powerful predictor of student success,” Young said. “ROAR Ready helps students feel like they belong on a college campus long before they apply, and that feeling can change the trajectory of their academic lives.”
Working with community
ROAR Ready enhances UWM’s long‑standing partnerships with schools, community organizations and families across Milwaukee, which have expressed a need for this type of youth programming.
“The world of college access and success has changed a lot over the last several years. We need to do different things and highlight the importance of college access and readiness for students,” said Kelly Schaer, assistant director of college transition at Carmen High School of Science & Technology. “There is a need for tangible experiences to help students see the value of higher ed and see themselves in it.”
Students love the engagement opportunities ROAR Ready provides.
“(Going on a campus tour) was really cool,” said Hayden Kassens, a sophomore at Carmen High School Southeast. “Seeing all the different opportunities and getting a sense of the college community was very intriguing.”
Tailored to students’ needs
Programming is tailored to students’ developmental stages and includes engagement opportunities for parents and caregivers.
- Cub Club: Kindergarten to fifth-grade students develop reading and writing skills, explore new interests and learn about different careers.
- ROAR Explorers: Sixth- to eighth-grade students build confidence in school and continue exploring career options.
- Panther Tracks: Ninth- to 12th-grade students prepare for college, earn credits through dual enrollment and make career decisions.
- ROAR Together: Families and caregivers learn how to help young learners prepare for college and beyond through workshops, resources and connections.
“ROAR Ready isn’t just a program, it’s a commitment,” Young said. “It’s about building lasting relationships with students and families and ensuring that access to higher education begins early, is sustained and leads to success.”
Andre X. Douglas, an assistant vice president at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee, said that he participated in UWM mini courses every Saturday as a child.
“Early exposure is critical to college success,” Douglas said. “It’s one thing to want them at that admissions age, but if we can get them at a young age and show them that we care about you at this point, it means that much more when they are college age.”
For more information about ROAR Ready, visit: uwm.edu/youth-programs/.
