July 2022 — Upward Scholars Graduation Celebration Recording, Fall 2022 Application, Free Mental Health App for SMC students, & more
Dear Upward Scholars students,
Summer is almost over! If you are taking classes this summer, we wish you the best of luck during finals in the next few weeks. If you took a break from classes, we hope you come back reenergized this fall.
Please read through this month's newsletter as it includes the Upward Scholars Graduation Celebration recording, our Fall Semester Application, community resources, job openings, upcoming scholarships, and more.
Upward Scholars Announcements
Upward Scholars Graduation Celebration
The third annual virtual Upward Scholars Graduation Celebration was a great success! Thank you to our community for joining us in celebrating our students' remarkable achievements. And a huge congratulations to the Class of 2022!
If you were unable to attend or want to share the celebration with others, you can find the recording here and on the Upward Scholars YouTube channel. We hope you are inspired by your peers to keep making progress toward your academic goals!
Fall Applications
The Upward Scholars Fall 2022 Application is open! Apply now for the Fall 2022 Semester. If you have any questions, contact Student Fellow Adriana Luna at adriana@upwardscholars.org or (650) 200-3444.
Virtual Conversation Club
The July Conversation Club has been canceled.
Please join us next month to build your confidence in your English conversation skills via a safe, friendly, and welcoming environment.
Our next virtual Conversation Club:
Friday, August 26, 2022
6:30 – 7:45 pm
RSVP by August 12 to join us.
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
Free Lyft Rides to Cañada College
Cañada College has launched a pilot program that offers current Cañada students one free roundtrip ride per day to and from campus. The program is made possible through a partnership between Cañada and Lyft.
Click here to sign up.
Wysa—Free Mental Health App
San Mateo County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services collaborated with Help@Hand to offer a free subscription to the Wysa app for anyone who lives, works, or goes to school in San Mateo County. With this subscription, you will have access to a message system, tools that build healthy conversations, mindfulness exercises, activity reports, a self-care kit journal, and stories and tools to help you sleep and meditate.
Click here to receive step-by-step instructions and to access a one-stop shop of community resources.
Tax-Aid
Tax-Aid offers free tax help for households that earn less than $58,000. Their expert Bay Area tax volunteers give you the confidence of properly prepared taxes and can offer tax support and advice year-round in your preferred language. They can even help you claim your Child Tax Credit if you haven't already done so. Click here to learn more. Their website is available in multiple languages.
External Employment Opportunities
Grassroots Ecology Habitat Restoration Internships
Are you or someone you know generally interested in conservation or environmental science? Grassroots Ecology has a 9-month paid Habitat Restoration Internship providing the opportunity to explore the environmental conservation career path through hands-on fieldwork, community engagement, and in-depth training.
Eight Habitat Restoration Interns will work with Grassroots Ecology from September 12, 2022 – June 9, 2023. The internship is a commitment of 8–19 hours per week at $20/hour.
Applications are open until Sunday, August 7, at 11:59 pm.
To find more information, including full program announcement, application form, and registration links for information sessions, click here.
Warehouse Associate
Jameco Electronics is looking for full-time and part-time warehouse associates available for order fillers/pickers, restockers, and receivers. They are flexible in setting a workday that benefits everyone, so students are encouraged to apply. Click here to learn more and apply.
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.
EducationDynamics $10,000 Minority First Generation Scholarship Contest
Application Deadline: July 30, 2022
Some qualifications: first in family to attend college; 17 years old or older; U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident
Future Leaders in Tech Scholarship
Application Deadline: August 20, 2022 by 8:59 pm
Some qualifications: Interested in/studying technology, computer science, or engineering; 3.0 or higher
Immigrants Rising List of Scholarships and Fellowships
Immigrants Rising has curated this list of scholarships and fellowships that don’t require proof of U.S. citizenship. The list has general application eligibility requirements, including education level, region/state, and immigration status (e.g. DACA, TPS, in-state tuition eligibility). Only opportunities with due dates within the next 180 days are shown in the list. Use the filters to find scholarships that could be right for you and click on the scholarship to learn more and apply!
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.
Onward and upward,
Jessica & Elías