Student Services
COVID-19 Urgent Resources | Campus Closure Updates | Previous Newsletters
March 2021— Staff Update, A Note on Conversation Club, New California Stimulus, COVID-19 Vaccines, and more
Dear Upward Scholars Students,
Happy Women's History Month! As we celebrate all of the amazing women who make up our Upward Scholars family, we invite you to do the same and celebrate the wonderful women in your life. Whether that be you, your grandmothers, mothers, sisters, aunts, daughters, or neighbors... Take this time to celebrate those you love.
Please read through this month's newsletter as it includes an important staff update, a note on Conversation Club, the new California stimulus, COVID-19 vaccines, and upcoming scholarship reminders.
Upward Scholars Announcements
Our Upward Scholars Family Is Growing
As some of you may have seen on our social media platforms, our Upward Scholars family is growing once again.
At the end of February, we welcomed our fifth staff member — Marta Dugarte. As the Program Assistant, Marta — who has been an Upward Scholars student since 2018 — will take over the Transportation Program and provide general program assistance, particularly in regard to you, our students.
To learn more about Marta, please visit the Staff and Board page on our website.
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.
Save the Date
April 30, 2021, 6:30 to 7:45 pm
RSVP links in the upcoming April newsletter
Face Masks
If you and your family need face masks, please contact Diana at diana@upwardscholars.org.
External Announcements/COVID-19 Resources
Golden State Stimulus
California has approved the Golden State Stimulus package which provides one-time $600 or $1,200 payments (depending on eligibility) to low-income Californians and undocumented residents who have not qualified for federal COVID-19 relief programs. The most important qualifications are earning taxable income in 2020, filing a California 2020 tax return by October 15, 2021, and being a CalEITC recipient and/or an ITIN filer who made $75,000 or less in 2020.
Those who are eligible for a stimulus check will automatically receive the money per the delivery method specified in their tax return. For more information and to see if you qualify to receive a stimulus check, 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.
Nannies and Food and Agricultural Workers can get COVID-19 Vaccine
As of February 22, 2021, nannies and other child care providers as well as food and agricultural workers can now register to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in San Mateo County and other counties across California. To learn more and to check if you are eligible, click here.
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.
Dreamers Unite: Conference for Immigrants & Allies
The Sequoia High School Dream Club and Immigrants Rising present a virtual conference focused on empowering immigrants. Topics include "Know Your Rights," "Telling Your Story," "Activism through Art," Taking Care of Your Emotional Well-Being," "How to Choose and Pay for College," and more. The conference will take place on Saturday, March 20 from 9 am to 1 pm. The workshops will be in English and Spanish. To register, click here.
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.
National Precast Concrete Association (NPCA) Foundation
Application Deadline: March 12, 2021
Some qualifications: majoring in fields related to building, construction, or precast concrete industry
Latinos in Technology Scholarship
Application Deadline: March 19, 2021
Some qualifications: must be of Latino or Hispanic origin; majoring in a STEM-related field; transferring to a 4-year university; 3.0 GPA or higher
The Marie A. Calderilla Scholarship
Application Deadline: March 19, 2021
Some qualifications: female student at Cañada, Skyline, or College of San Mateo; U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen
Bay Area Gardeners Scholarship Foundation
Application Deadline: March 19, 2021
Some qualifications: transferring to a 4-year university; 2.5 GPA or higher; open to undocumented students
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
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
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.
Warmly,
Jessica