As the Student Experiences Coordinator for the GEAR UP for LIFE project, Lori’s mission is to support college and career readiness and promote access to post-secondary education in her home state. She leads a team of Student Experience Facilitators who introduce cohort students to post-secondary educational and skills training opportunities. The Student Experience team develops engaging college and career curriculum and plans campus visits to career tech centers, colleges, and universities for all 8,000 students in each of the seven years of the GEAR UP for LIFE partnership. Lori worked in Admissions and Recruitment at the University of Oklahoma prior to joining this project at the K20 Center, and she started her career as a Spanish teacher at Norman High and Norman North High School. Her passion for post-secondary opportunities for students from historically underrepresented populations, evident through ongoing doctoral research, aligns seamlessly with the mission of K20’s GEAR UP programs.