More rural students are finding their fit at Northwestern

Growing up on or near reservations in the rural Pacific Northwest, Blackfeet Nation member Sophia Guerrero-Gobert assumed she’d attend a public university out West, like her four older sisters.

But when she got the chance to visit Northwestern, she was able to explore a school that wasn’t even on her radar.

“The only time I’d heard of Northwestern was in [the movie] ‘Mean Girls,’” she said.

Guerrero-Gobert was among the 2025 cohort of 19 high school students from 16 states who participated in the Small Town and Rural Teen University Prep Innovation Intensive (START-UP) program at Northwestern last summer. Run by the University’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions in partnership with the Small Town and Rural Students (STARS) College Network and in collaboration with The Garage, START-UP is a three-day summer fly-in program for rising high school seniors from across the country.

Now Guerrero-Gobert of Browning, Montana — population 1,018 — plans to enroll at Northwestern this fall.

“It was so many firsts: my first flight, first time to Chicago, first kind of opening my eyes to a different school, a private top 10 school,” she said. “Once I got there, I never looked away. My whole life switched.”

The STARS College Network, formed in 2023 by Northwestern and several other institutions with support from Trott Family Philanthropies, partners with more than 30 top colleges and universities to increase access for students from rural and small-town America to enroll and graduate from the school of their choice.

Northwestern has seen growth of more than 30% in rural and small-town populations thanks to continued support across the STARS network, according to Kelsey Olsen, senior assistant director of admission.

“Northwestern's partnership with STARS is such a special piece of the work our team does every day as educators,” Olsen said. “More students in the U.S. attend rural schools than in the 100 largest school districts combined, yet data consistently shows that fewer than one in five rural Americans hold a bachelor's degree.

“Knowing that Northwestern is actively working to reshape conversations around college in these communities is incredibly meaningful, and even more so for me given my own rural upbringing in the Missouri Ozarks.”

Programs like START-UP would not be possible without support from the STARS College Network and its continued commitment to breaking down barriers to postsecondary access, she said.

START-UP students get immersed in campus life, meeting with current students and staff, exploring Chicago and learning what it takes to build a product or business. They also take a deep dive into the processes around applications and financial aid.

That exposure can be transformative, Guerrero-Gobert said.

“While I was there, I got used to campus,” she said. “I made a layout in my head. This is the building I’d go to if I attended, the food court I would go to. And this is the building I’d take this class. I feel more confident, like I have connections now.”

Maggie Fitzgerald, another START-UP participant and incoming Wildcat, hails from Basalt, Colorado, with its population of 3,984. Basalt High School has 400 students and one counselor.

“I live in a very small town, and you’re just really on your own trying to navigate the whole process,” she said. “It’s just a monster if you have to do it by yourself.”

Fitzgerald said her first visit also cemented her commitment to Northwestern for the 2026-2027 academic year.

To help support students like Fitzgerald and Guerrero-Gobert, Northwestern also partners with other STARS schools to enhance college counselor resources in rural settings. Last fall, along with the University of Chicago, Notre Dame and Case Western Reserve, Northwestern hosted 36 rural college counselors and educators on each of the four campuses. STARS schools also travel together to meet rural families and educators where they live, and the STARS Network is piloting a new College Advisor Program.

The START-UP application for Summer 2026 is live and submissions are accepted through March 10.