Thirty-six GEAR UP Sophomores from Atoka High School recently traveled to Tishomingo, OK, to tour the campus of MSC (Murray State College). The day began with Outreach and Recruitment Coordinator Katie Carroll greeting the students and giving a brief overview of college life, encouraging students to consider a small campus for their post-secondary education. After the introduction, Carroll and her team guided students on a walking tour of the campus, including the dormitories, dining hall, Student Center, and the Health Science Center. Students explored the library and Student Success Center which provides tutoring, group study rooms, academic coaching, and technological resources. Students also visited the new Science and Agriculture Building, which houses classrooms, laboratories, and meeting spaces. The site also features a lake behind the building used for irrigation and research. The tour concluded with a question and answer session and a brief introduction to MSC’s new president, Dr. Tim Faltyn. Recruiters reminded students to begin preparing for college now and discussed the benefits of concurrent enrollment. The field trip was sponsored by Eastern Oklahoma State College’s GEAR UP program. Eastern received a $17 million federal GEAR UP grant in 2017, and will serve more than 3,000 students in 39 area schools for seven years.