June 2021— Graduation Reminder, Spiritual Counseling, Scholarships, & more

Dear Upward Scholars Students,

Congratulations for getting through yet another semester! I hope you are taking some time to relax and recharge in preparation for Summer or Fall 2021 courses.

Please read through this month's newsletter as it includes a Graduation Reminder, free Spiritual and Emotional Counseling sessions, external program opportunities, and upcoming scholarships.

Upward Scholars Announcements

Graduation Reminder

You are invited to attend Upward Scholars' second annual virtual Graduation Celebration this Sunday! No matter where in your academic journey you are at this time, come get inspired by the monumental achievements of your peers. Register here to attend.

Spiritual and Emotional Counseling with Reverend Gerardo García Palacios

Upward Scholars offers all students and their families free spiritual and emotional counseling with Rev. Gerardo García Palacios (right). 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 Scholarship Recipients

Students, if you have recently been awarded a scholarship through your college or another organization (e.g., Bay Area Gardeners Foundation Scholarship), please send a picture of yourself with your printed award email so we can celebrate your achievements. Send your scholarship pictures to Jessica at jessica@upwardscholars.org or text them to (650) 254-6274.

Save the Date — Virtual Conversation Club

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.

Save the date for our next virtual Conversation Club on:

July 30, 2021

6:30 to 7:45 pm

RSVP forms coming in the July newsletter.

External Announcements/COVID-19 Resources

Elevate Tutoring Fall 2021 Application Open

Want to earn a $5,500 scholarship? Elevate Tutoring will train you in teaching and communication skills so you can provide tutoring to low-income middle and high school students. Selected applicants will begin training in August and, by September or October, will be tutoring about 5 hours/week.

Open to all majors. Applicants should be located in or near the South Bay, be comfortable with high school level math, and have a desire to tutor/mentor younger students. Applicants should also have financial need and a graduation date no sooner than May 2022.

Apply by June 27, 2021 at http://elevatetutoring.org/web/apply/. Reach out to apply@elevatetutoring.org with questions.

World Cafe 2021 by Welcoming Redwood City event

Welcoming Redwood City's annual World Cafe seeks to foster empathy and understanding between Redwood City and North Fair Oaks residents of different backgrounds. This year, they will spotlight 3 community leaders and host short small-group discussions. Interpretation will be provided for Spanish speakers.

The Cafe will take place on Thursday, June 17, from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm.

$25 GrubHub giftcards are offered at the registration. Register here.

Fresh Approach's Free VeggieRx Program

VeggieRx is a 16-week program to help families learn about nutrition and healthy food choices. There will be 8 classes, one every two weeks, taught over Zoom, and two in-person meetings to measure participants' BMI and weight. Participants will learn basic nutrition concepts and new healthy recipes, as well as earn $7 coupons per household member each week they attend class to spend at Fresh Approach's Farmer's Market.

The program starts on June 17th and takes place every other Thursday from 5:30–7 pm. Spanish speakers can register here. If you sign up, please let me know at jessica@upwardscholars.org.

Employment Opportunities

Sequoia District Adult School (SAS) Job Board

SAS now has their 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.

2021 Sparks Law Dream Chasers Scholarship

  • Application Deadline: June 30, 2021

  • Some qualifications: 3.0 GPA or higher; U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident

EducationDynamics $10,000 Minority First Generation Scholarship Contest

  • Application Deadline: June 30, 2021

  • Some qualifications: first in family to attend college; 17 years old or older; U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident

The David Malcolm Scholarship

  • Application Deadline: June 30, 2021

  • Some qualifications: full-time student; 3.5 GPA or higher

Good Lawyers / Good People Scholarship

  • Application Deadline: July 1, 2021

  • Some qualifications: undergraduate; interested in law

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 she 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