What We Do

Financial Support | Academic Support | Career Development | Holistic Support

MoveUp Initiative

Whether it’s immigration status, lack of a college degree, or working in multiple low-wage jobs just to make ends meet, Upward Scholars students face insurmountable obstacles to making a livable wage.

This is why we have developed programs to better meet our students’ needs today and to prepare for a changing economic landscape in the future. Our MoveUp Initiative gives students the boost they need to move up the economic ladder through education and career development support.

Focusing on our students’ career goals to establish opportunities for them to develop and practice their professional skills, the MoveUp Initiative currently includes the programs below, with more in development.

For more information about any of our MoveUp career development programs or if you wish to participate as a volunteer or lead a workshop related to career development, contact Programs Manager Marlene Torres-Magaña at marlene@upwardscholars.org.

¡Habla Más! Spanish Coaches & Interpreters

Upward Scholars students are smart and hard-working. The vast majority are fluent Spanish-speakers who are eager to share their language and cultures with the many people living in the Bay Area who want to learn Spanish from native speakers.

¡Habla Más!, which means “speak more” in Spanish, provides training for Upward Scholars students to serve as paid language coaches for those who want to learn or improve their Spanish. Through this program, our students learn teaching techniques and business strategies to run their own Spanish-language coaching business.

To learn more about the program and hire an ¡Habla Más! coach, click here.

Upward Scholars also trained interested coaches to become paid English-Spanish interpreters and connects them to interpreting opportunities through our own events and partner events. If you need interpretation services for your virtual or in-person event, contact Programs Manager Marlene Torres-Magaña at marlene@upwardscholars.org to connect with ¡Habla Más! Interpreters.

TeacherUp

Early childhood educators are essential to the human infrastructure supporting healthy families and strong local economies. Unfortunately, COVID-19 revealed and exacerbated systemic inequities, including poverty wages that drive the early educator shortage in the Bay Area and around the country.

While our incredible partners actively create policy changes that improve educators' wages and conditions, Upward Scholars' TeacherUp program works to close the state-wide childcare gap and prepare high-quality bilingual and bicultural early childhood educators.

Through TeacherUp, we aim to increase childcare workforce capacity by providing specialized support to help students create and progress toward individualized education plans, develop the professional skills they need, and exit the program with career prospects as teachers and family childcare providers.

BusinessUp & BusinessPro

Owning a small business is a great way to move up the economic ladder and create lasting multigenerational change in our communities. Unfortunately, immigrants and other populations from low-income households often lack the knowledge, resources, and capital to start their businesses.

Upward Scholars partners with local organizations, such as Centro Community Partners and Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center, offering aspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners entrepreneurship training, mentoring, and access to capital support. This partnership and referral program is BusinessUp and has led to many successful student and alumni businesses. With the support and mentorship of experts and other business owners, participants establish their business's mission, vision, and values while learning the basics of market analysis, operations, marketing strategies, and business finance. These tools and resources allow our student entrepreneurs to thoroughly understand the workings of a successful business to help them make more informed decisions about their businesses.

To learn about current Upward Scholars student businesses, click here.