February 2022 — You're Invited to Upward Scholars Bridges the Bay, & more
Dear Upward Scholars students,
We hope you are having a great semester so far. As the workload begins to ramp up, remember to take the time to pause and breathe. We believe in you!
Please read through this month's newsletter as it includes our Upward Scholars Bridges the Bay event, our fast-approaching ¡Habla Más! and BusinessUp programs, our Board of Directors, and upcoming scholarships.
Upward Scholars Announcements
You're invited to the Upward Scholars Bridges the Bay event on March 1 at 4 pm!
In 2010, Upward Scholars began helping adult immigrants transition from adult schools to community colleges so they could expand their education and engage in economic mobility. At that time, we served students graduating from Sequoia Adult School and enrolling at Cañada College in Redwood City. In the past 5 years, we have scaled to work closely with five San Mateo County adult schools and serve students from the three sister colleges at the San Mateo County Community College District (Cañada College, Skyline College, and College of San Mateo).
Last year, we initiated our second wave of scaling efforts to expand outside of San Mateo County and into Northern Alameda County. At Upward Scholars Bridges the Bay, Executive Director of Upward Scholars Dr. Linda Prieto and Special Programs Manager Diana Viscarra will update our community on these scaling efforts, our new partnership with the Northern Alameda Adult Education Collective, and what this means for Upward Scholars. Joining them will be Berkeley City College Transitions Liaison Midhun Joseph and Upward Scholars student Samsul Sheikh.
Join us on March 1 from 4 to 4:45 pm to hear more about how Upward Scholars is bridging the bay! No need to RSVP. Just save the Zoom information below, share it with your friends, and join the meeting on Tuesday.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84950018386?pwd=Z0UrOWxPSnpJVlk5cU8xcFkzQ1NCQT09
Meeting ID: 849 5001 8386
Passcode: 819355
One tap mobile
+16699009128,,84950018386# US (San José)
¡Habla Más! Spanish Language Coaching in March
Are you a native Spanish speaker AND have taken a college-level Spanish for heritage speakers class? Do you want to get paid for teaching Spanish to our community? Then ¡Habla Más! is the program for you.
¡Habla Más! provides training for students to serve as paid language coaches for those who want to learn or improve their Spanish. Through this 14-week program, you will learn technical grammar, teaching techniques, and business strategies to run your own Spanish language coaching business.
If you're interested in learning more, Jessica and Spanish teacher Yazmin are hosting an informational session on Wednesday, March 9, from 6:30 to 7:30 pm. Sign up here to attend and learn everything you need to do to become a paid ¡Habla Más! Spanish coach!
BusinessUp Boot Camp in March
Do you have or want to start your own business? Are you unsure where to start or what resources are available to you as an immigrant? We have you covered!
Upward Scholars and Centro Community Partners are co-hosting a two-day BusinessUp boot camp on March 4 & 11 from 5 to 8 pm to guide you through the process of building personalized, actionable business plans and developing your business ideas. Owning a small business is a great way to move up the economic ladder and create lasting multigenerational change in our communities, so don't wait.
Register here today to save your spot!
What is our Board of Directors?
You may have heard about the Upward Scholars Board of Directors from our website, social media, newsletters, or even by one of our staff. But what exactly is a Board of Directors?
The Board of Directors—or Board, for short—is the governing body of a nonprofit. Individuals who sit on our board are aligned with the mission, vision, and values of Upward Scholars and want to see the organization and YOU succeed. They are responsible for overseeing our high-level organizational activities to keep us on track and periodically meet to discuss and vote on the affairs of the organization. Board memberships are not permanent positions; most organizations have terms between three and five years. Currently, there are 11 Upward Scholars Board members. You can learn more about each of them here.
Spiritual Counseling with Reverend Gerardo García Palacios
Upward Scholars offers all students and their families free spiritual and emotional counseling with Rev. Gerardo García Palacios. The pandemic has affected all of us and we want you to express your struggles and be heard in a safe, confidential, and virtual environment. People of all beliefs are welcome and Rev. Gerardo is English-Spanish bilingual.
Schedule a session with Rev. Gerardo by emailing him at pastorgarcia1679@outlook.com or calling/texting him at (650) 387-9174. Tell him your full name and if a family member schedules a session, they should also give the name of the Upward Scholars student they were referred by.
External Announcements/COVID-19 Resources
Sonrisas Dental Health
Not sure if you can afford dental care or qualify for financial assistance? Our partners at Sonrisas Dental Health are dedicated to providing quality dental care to those who otherwise could not afford dental care. They provide these services with dignity, respect, and compassion and offer preventative and restorative services. They also take Medi-Cal Dental and offer an Affordable Scale plan which would be up to a 45% discount depending on the person's income. Click here to learn more and get your smile back!
FREE at-home COVID-19 tests
Free at-home COVID-19 tests from the federal government are now available! Every home in the U.S. is eligible to order four tests, and orders will usually ship within 7-12 days.
Order your tests at https://covidtests.gov.
To find testing locations if you need immediate assistance, visit https://www.smcgov.org/landing-page/covid-testing.
External Employment Opportunities
SAS Campus Security Aide
Sequoia Adult School has an open position for a part-time Campus Security Aide to assist in maintaining order and safety on and around campus grounds and facilities; to serve as a resource person and liaison to students, staff, and administrators in improving student conduct and class attendance; and to perform related work as assigned. To learn more about the position and apply, click here.
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 me at jessica@upwardscholars.org to be paired with a volunteer who can work with you one-on-one.
SMCCC Foundation Scholarships
The next scholarship cycle for the San Mateo County Community Colleges Foundation is NOW OPEN! This is a single application that allows you to apply to multiple scholarships all at once. The application deadline is fast approaching on March 2, 2022, at 11:59 pm. Apply now!
Financial Aid
The FAFSA and California Dream Act applications for the 2022–2023 academic school year are NOW OPEN for those who are eligible! Complete them as soon as possible and before March 2, 2022 to secure your financial aid and enrollment in Upward Scholars.
Pursuit of Excellence Community College Scholarship - Bay Area
Application Deadline: February 28, 2022
Some qualifications: transferring to a 4-year university; preference given to students who transfer to a UC; GPA of 3.5 or better is preferred; currently enrolled in a SMC Community College or Foothill/De Anza College
Crestmoor Neighborhood Memorial Scholarship
Application Deadline: March 1, 2022
Some qualifications: live in San Bruno or attends Skyline College; first-year student at a community college or transfer student from a community college to a four-year university; open to undocumented students; full-time student
10,000 Degrees General Scholarships
Application Deadline: March 2, 2022
Some qualifications: full-time student
Latinos in Technology Scholarship
Application Deadline: March 18, 2022
Some qualifications: must be of Latino or Hispanic origin; majoring in a STEM-related field; transferring to a 4-year undergraduate university; 3.0 GPA or higher
The Marie A. Calderilla Scholarship
Application Deadline: March 18, 2022
Some qualifications: identify as female; U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen
Chicana Latina Foundation (CLF) Scholarship
Application Deadline: March 31, 2021
Some qualifications: Self-identify as a Chicana and/or Latina; full-time student; 2.0 GPA or higher
Click here to find an array of scholarships specific to your major or area of study.
If you know of any other scholarship opportunities with deadlines in the next few weeks or months, please email me 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.
Onward and upward,
Jessica & Elías