Pushing the Goal Post
Legacy, opportunity, and the work of changing students' lives.
Ty McCall, Director of Programs, College Admissions Made Possible (CAMP) 2.0
There is a quote I heard a while ago that says, "If you’re lucky, you get 70 good summers." Seventy.
The moment I heard that quote, I started thinking about the kind of legacy I wanted to leave behind. What did I want to leave in this world?
Number one: my faith.
Number two: my family.
Number three: my dedication to our youth and their futures.
Then I got to work.
You become the best version of yourself when you find work that doesn’t feel like a job. You wake up feeling like you get to go to work instead of having to go to work.
When I started working for Alabama State University’s GEAR UP program, something awakened in me. I knew it was different. The incredible things we were able to do with our scholars fueled me in a way that is almost impossible to describe. I filled my calendar with opportunities for students because I was genuinely excited to pour into them the same way educators had poured into me during a very difficult high school experience. See, I don’t just relate to those students; I was one of those students. I have faced the very things they have faced: gun violence, abuse, foster care.
We organized 15 college tours, two State House visits where my students were recognized on the House floor, four bridge programs, eight ACT Boot Camps, ten symposiums, two trips to Puerto Rico, and 15 career fairs. During that time, I was also honored to be named the 2025 NCCEP Professional Leader of the Year.
What most people don’t know is that all of that happened in only 18 months.
It’s amazing what you can accomplish when you’re allowed to take something you’ve imagined in your head and bring it to life because you have the support of people who believe in something bigger than themselves. That kind of support makes you want to keep creating, keep building, and keep dreaming even bigger.
But what truly pushed me wasn’t the recognition; it was seeing the impact on students in real life.
At our first symposium, out of 516 students, only 11 had ever been inside the Renaissance Convention Center in their own hometown.
On our first trip to Puerto Rico, out of 18 students, 11 had never been on an airplane.
The moment that has always stayed with me happened at the Renaissance. Many students walked right past the silverware because it was wrapped inside cloth napkins. That may seem like a small thing, but it was a huge moment. It reminded me that GEAR UP wasn’t just changing educational destinies; it was changing culture. It was exposing students to experiences they had never imagined, expanding what they believed was possible, and opening doors to entirely new horizons.
A few months after receiving the 2025 NCCEP Professional Leader of the Year award, I left GEAR UP and joined College Admissions Made Possible (CAMP).
At CAMP, I’ve been able to take everything we built through Alabama State University’s GEAR UP program and expand that impact to an even broader audience. The fire that started in me at ASU GEAR UP is now being carried across the country.
If GEAR UP lit the fire in me, CAMP became my inferno.
So, as Congress debates the future of federal programs, I hope they don’t see GEAR UP as just another line item in a budget. I hope they see the students. I hope they see the lives that are forever changed because someone invested in them.
I’m 45 years old, and GEAR UP changed my life.
Our life’s work is only meaningful if it makes a difference in the lives of others. Our legacy isn’t measured by titles or awards. Our legacy is measured by the opportunities we create for young people and the lives we help transform.
We all have a responsibility to be agents of that change.
As for me, I’ll keep pushing the goalpost. I’ll keep creating opportunities. I’ll keep believing in what’s possible.
Because our children deserve nothing less than the absolute best of me.
Ty McCall is the Director of Programs at College Admissions Made Possible (CAMP) 2.0.
Shared for National GEAR UP Week.
Learn More
Comments