{"id":13346,"date":"2026-02-04T09:24:23","date_gmt":"2026-02-04T15:24:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/?post_type=campus_story&#038;p=13346"},"modified":"2026-02-04T09:24:24","modified_gmt":"2026-02-04T15:24:24","slug":"uwm-launches-roar-ready-to-support-college-access-and-success-for-k-12-students-and-families","status":"publish","type":"campus_story","link":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/story\/uwm-launches-roar-ready-to-support-college-access-and-success-for-k-12-students-and-families\/","title":{"rendered":"UWM launches ROAR Ready to support college access and success for K-12 students and families"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2024\/08\/MIL_campus-beauty_aerial_20150821_UCMR_1200px.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2024\/08\/MIL_campus-beauty_aerial_20150821_UCMR_1200px-1024x426.jpg\" alt=\"Photo of aerial view of UW-Milwaukee\" class=\"wp-image-11318\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2024\/08\/MIL_campus-beauty_aerial_20150821_UCMR_1200px-1024x426.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2024\/08\/MIL_campus-beauty_aerial_20150821_UCMR_1200px-300x125.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2024\/08\/MIL_campus-beauty_aerial_20150821_UCMR_1200px-768x319.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2024\/08\/MIL_campus-beauty_aerial_20150821_UCMR_1200px.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee is announcing the launch of ROAR Ready, a learning pathway to help K-12 students and their families pursue new interests, prepare for college and explore career options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>UWM offers more than 200 unique,&nbsp;age\u2011appropriate programs&nbsp;and engagement opportunities for youth across the region \u2013- from College for Kids &amp; Teens to campus tours to planetarium visits.&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/t.e2ma.net\/click\/adzxhk\/2yui1ixj\/u80vsx\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">ROAR Ready<\/a>&nbsp;brings those opportunities together under a single, coordinated framework that helps students and families navigate resources, track&nbsp;milestones&nbsp;and&nbsp;maintain&nbsp;long\u2011term engagement with the university.<strong>&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Meeting a\u00a0critical\u00a0community\u00a0need<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Many&nbsp;Milwaukee area&nbsp;K-12 students and families lack consistent access to structured academic enrichment, career&nbsp;exploration&nbsp;and college\u2011readiness resources. These gaps can lead to challenges in preparedness,&nbsp;confidence&nbsp;and persistence as students transition to higher education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe academic journey doesn\u2019t begin on move-in day,\u201d said&nbsp;UWM Chancellor&nbsp;Thomas Gibson.&nbsp;\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,&nbsp;welcoming&nbsp;and connected, and that they help students imagine a future in higher education from the very start.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>ROAR Ready, which stands for a Roadmap for Opportunity, Achievement and College Readiness, empowers young learners to build their brightest future and discover a place to call home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cFamilies tell us they want to support their students, but the pathway to college can feel complicated and overwhelming,\u201d said&nbsp;Marc Young, UWM&nbsp;chief recruitment and outreach officer and executive director of&nbsp;undergraduate admissions.&nbsp;\u201cROAR Ready simplifies that journey by creating one clear roadmap,&nbsp;one place where students can explore, grow and stay connected to UWM year after year.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Three\u00a0core\u00a0pillars<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>ROAR Ready programming is organized around three pillars:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Academic enrichment, to build\u00a0core skills in reading,\u00a0math\u00a0and science through hands-on learning.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Career exploration, to\u00a0discover a wide range of career options through practical, engaging activities.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Belonging, to\u00a0develop a stronger sense of identity and community through campus experiences and peer connections.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cBelonging is a powerful predictor of student success,\u201d&nbsp;Young&nbsp;said.&nbsp;\u201cROAR Ready helps students feel like they belong on a college campus long before they apply,&nbsp;and that feeling can change the trajectory of their academic lives.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Community\u00a0partnerships and\u00a0impact<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>ROAR Ready&nbsp;enhances&nbsp;UWM\u2019s long\u2011standing partnerships with schools, community&nbsp;organizations&nbsp;and families across Milwaukee, which&nbsp;have expressed a&nbsp;need for&nbsp;this type of youth&nbsp;programming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe 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,\u201d said&nbsp;Kelly Schaer, assistant director of college transition at Carmen High School of Science &amp; Technology. \u201cThere is a need for tangible experiences to help students see the value of higher ed and see themselves in it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Students&nbsp;love the engagement opportunities ROAR Ready provides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201c[Going on a campus tour] was really cool,\u201d said&nbsp;Hayden Kassens, a sophomore at Carmen High School Southeast. \u201cSeeing all the different opportunities and getting a sense of the college community was very intriguing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">ROAR Ready welcomes learners of all ages<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Programming is tailored to students\u2019 developmental stages and includes engagement opportunities for parents and caregivers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Cub Club<\/strong>: Kindergarten\u2013fifth\u00a0grade\u00a0students develop reading and writing skills, explore new\u00a0interests\u00a0and learn about different careers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>ROAR Explorers<\/strong>:\u00a0Sixth\u2013eighth\u00a0grade\u00a0students build confidence in school and continue exploring career options.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Panther Tracks<\/strong>:\u00a0Ninth\u201312th grade\u00a0students prepare for college, earn credits through dual\u00a0enrollment\u00a0and make career decisions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>ROAR Together<\/strong>: Families and caregivers learn how to help young learners prepare for college and beyond through workshops, resources and connections.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cROAR Ready isn\u2019t just a program, it\u2019s a commitment,\u201d Young said. \u201cIt\u2019s about building lasting relationships with students and families and ensuring that access to higher education begins early, is sustained and leads to success.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p>Written by UW-Milwaukee<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Link to original story: <a href=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/news\/uwm-launches-roar-ready-to-support-college-access-and-success-for-k-12-students-and-families\/\">https:\/\/uwm.edu\/news\/uwm-launches-roar-ready-to-support-college-access-and-success-for-k-12-students-and-families\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee is announcing the launch of ROAR Ready, a learning pathway to help K-12 students and their families pursue new interests, prepare for college and explore career options. UWM offers more than 200 unique,&nbsp;age\u2011appropriate programs&nbsp;and engagement opportunities for youth across the region \u2013- from College for Kids &amp; Teens to campus tours [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":11318,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","institution":[107],"story_category":[],"class_list":["post-13346","campus_story","type-campus_story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","institution-uw-milwaukee"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story\/13346","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/campus_story"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13346"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11318"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13346"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"institution","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/institution?post=13346"},{"taxonomy":"story_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/story_category?post=13346"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}