{"id":152675,"date":"2026-01-22T11:46:36","date_gmt":"2026-01-22T17:46:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/news\/?p=152675"},"modified":"2026-01-27T09:22:54","modified_gmt":"2026-01-27T15:22:54","slug":"uwm-launches-effort-to-make-students-roar-ready-for-college-at-a-young-age","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/news\/uwm-launches-effort-to-make-students-roar-ready-for-college-at-a-young-age\/","title":{"rendered":"UWM launches effort to make students ROAR Ready for college at a young age"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019ve never been to a college campus, or if you don\u2019t know someone who has gone to college, it can be hard to imagine yourself getting a degree.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s campus, and earning college credits helped her ease the transition and envision a promising future.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe support helped me feel at home and get oriented,\u201d she said. \u201cI met with success coaches and got resources I needed to succeed. I felt secure that those resources were there for me. Now I\u2019m able to offer the (college) support to my younger siblings that I didn’t have.\u201d<\/p>\n

Montenegro Nevarez talked about her experience at a launch event for ROAR Ready<\/a>, 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.<\/p>\n

\"High
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High school students explore UWM’s youth programs<\/div><\/div>\n

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.<\/p>\n

UWM offers more than 200 unique, age\u2011appropriate programs and engagement opportunities for youth across the region \u2013- 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\u2011term engagement with the university.<\/p>\n

Many Milwaukee area K-12 students and families lack consistent access to structured academic enrichment, career exploration and college\u2011readiness resources. These gaps can lead to challenges in preparedness, confidence and persistence as students transition to higher education.<\/p>\n

\"Chancellor
Play Video<\/span><\/div><\/a><\/div>
UW-Milwaukee Launches ROAR Ready to Help K\u201312 Students Prepare for College and Careers<\/div><\/div>\n

\u201cThe academic journey doesn\u2019t begin on move-in day,\u201d said UWM Chancellor Thomas Gibson. \u201cIt 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.<\/p>\n

Feeling like home<\/h2>\n

ROAR Ready empowers young learners to build their brightest future and discover a place to call home.<\/p>\n

\u201cFamilies tell us they want to support their students, but the pathway to college can feel complicated and overwhelming,\u201d said Marc Young, UWM chief recruitment and outreach officer and executive director of undergraduate admissions. \u201cROAR Ready simplifies that journey by creating one clear roadmap, one place where students can explore, grow and stay connected to UWM year after year.\u201d<\/p>\n

ROAR Ready programming is organized around three pillars:<\/p>\n