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April 2021— Introducing two NEW Upward Scholars Programs launching this month!

Dear Upward Scholars Students,

Happy Spring! We hope you are enjoying the extra hours of sunlight and warmer weather. As COVID-19 vaccine eligibility and supply increases, we encourage our community to stay informed on where they can get appointments to receive the vaccine. Please remember to continue to wear your mask and avoid large gatherings regardless of whether or not you've received the vaccine.

Please read through this month's newsletter as it includes two NEW Upward Scholars programs, the Conversation Club RSVP, affordable Farmer's Markets from our partners, Community College Immigration Services, and upcoming scholarship reminders.

Upward Scholars Announcements

NEW Upward Scholars JobUp Referral Program

Upward Scholars' first-ever JobUp Referral Program has launched! Through this program, we hope to match talented Upward Scholars students in need of employment with Upward Scholars community members requesting students' services.

If you are looking for flexible short-term or one-off referrals, fill out the JobUp Skills Form. When an Upward Scholars community member requests a service you provide, you will be matched and introduced to them via email to arrange the details of the job.

If you have any questions or concerns, contact MoveUp Program Manager Jessica Magallón-Gálvez at jessica@upwardscholars.org.

NEW Upward Scholars Student-led Training Program

The first Upward Scholars Student-Led Training on Microsoft Word is coming up this month. Read the details below and RSVP by the deadline to attend.

Topic: Introduction to Microsoft Word, general review on MLA, and a brief overview on basic Zoom features and how to upload assignments through CANVAS

Facilitator: Mario Roberto Gomez (right), Peer Learning Facilitator

Date: Friday, April 23rd from 6:30-7:45 pm

RSVP by April 18th

Maximum capacity: 20 students on a first-come, first-serve basis

Zoom link: We will email you the Zoom link two days before the workshop.

If you have any questions or concerns, contact Academic Program Manager Milena Miyashiro at milena@upwardscholars.org.

Virtual Conversation Club – Save the Date

The Upward Scholars Conversation Club is an opportunity for you as students to build confidence in your English conversation skills via a safe, friendly, and welcoming environment.

We ask our volunteer Friends who attend Conversation Club to focus on conversation topics that stimulate and inspire your educational journey, including what you are studying and your goals. However, this is not a time for our Friends to ask you about topics that might stir emotional or painful memories. Specifically, we ask our Friends not to ask you about your immigration experience, such as why you came to the United States, how you got here, or your immigration status.

If any of our Friends ever ask you such questions during Conversation Club, please kindly tell them you prefer not to answer those questions and are happy to talk about your educational goals, hobbies, or interests instead. Also, do let us know if you are asked these questions, so we can continue to remind our Friends that those are inappropriate questions for Conversation Club.

Our next virtual Conversation Club takes place:

April 30, 2021

6:30 to 7:45 pm

To attend, please RSVP by April 23rd.

External Announcements/COVID-19 Resources

Fresh Approach EPA and Mobile Markets

The Fresh Approach East Palo Alto Community Farmers’ Market is back! It is open every Wednesday, from 9 am to 1 pm at Bloomhouse 2555 Pulgas Avenue, East Palo Alto, CA 94303.

Fresh Approach’s Mobile Farmers’ Market is also back in Antioch, Richmond, San José, and Sunnyvale!

At the any of the Farmers’ Markets, shoppers with CalFresh EBT (SNAP), WIC, SSI/SSDI, Medi-Cal, or Unemployment benefits can receive a dollar-for-dollar match to buy more fresh fruits and vegetables. Visit the information booth to get more details! They accept cash, credit, and EBT!

Immigrant Eligibility for COVID-19 Related Benefits

To find out if you are eligible for health care, cash or food assistance, or unemployment insurance related to COVID-19 based on your immigration status, click HERE.

Community College Immigration Services

The Community College Immigration Services (CCIS) project provides FREE immigration legal assistance to all community college students in California. They also provide FREE legal assistance with DACA, Family-based petitions, U-visas, citizenship, etc. to community college students. You can make virtual appointments using any of the following links: https://www5.apptoto.com/b/iibaatlosmedanos or https://www5.apptoto.com/b/iibaatdiablovalley.

ACCEL New Future Career Education Survey

Students, please consider completing the following ACCEL New Future Career Education Survey to help design and plan future course offerings in San Mateo County. The survey should take about 10-15 minutes. Your responses are anonymous and no personal information is collected.

To complete the survey in English, click here, for Spanish, click here, and for Chinese, click here.

External Employment Opportunities

Sequoia District Adult School (SAS) Job Board

SAS has its very own job board to help students like you find jobs. There are a variety of positions in various industries. Visit their website to learn more.

If you hear of any employment opportunities, please contact Jessica at jessica@upwardscholars.org and she will share them with all Upward Scholars students.

Upcoming Scholarships

The following is a list of external scholarships with upcoming deadlines. Click on the links to learn more about each scholarship.

NOTE: If you need help applying to any of these, contact Jessica at jessica@upwardscholars.org to be paired with a volunteer who can work with you one-on-one.

Deblinger Family Scholarship

• Application Deadline: April 16, 2021

• Some qualifications: Single, female parents who are Head of Household; enrolled in a community college or transferring to a 4-year university; 2.5 GPA or higher

Great Minds in STEM Scholarship

• Application Deadline: April 30, 2021

• Some qualifications: majoring in a STEM-related field; 3.0 GPA or higher; must be of Hispanic descent and/or must demonstrate significant leadership or service within the underserved community; full-time student

B. Davis Scholarship

• Application Deadline: May 22, 2021

• Some qualifications: open to all currently enrolled in college or university

If you know of any other scholarship opportunities with deadlines in the next few weeks or months, please email Jessica at jessica@upwardscholars.org, and I will share them with all Upward Scholars students.

Thank you for reading through this newsletter. I hope you found it helpful. If you have any further questions or want help with anything you read here, please reach out to me at jessica@upwardscholars.org.

Onward and upward,

Jessica