Upward Scholars

This month, we would love to shine a spotlight on an Upward Scholars student, Mario, who is determined to achieve his goals despite the obstacles that stand in his way. Like many of you, his academic journey has not been easy or short, but with hard work, determination, and a little help from Upward Scholars, he has prevailed. We hope you are as inspired by his story as we are. Congratulations, Mario! We are so proud of you! #StudentSpotlight "A Dream Come True": ... At seven years old, Mario’s life changed. On a trip back to Guatemala from the United States, his aunt a student at Cañada College at the time gave Mario a backpack. It was just a backpack but when I read the words ‘Cañada College’ on it, I imagined myself there. In 2009, at the age of twenty-four, Mario immigrated to the U.S. and enrolled at San Mateo Adult School to learn English. After seven years of hard work, Mario, with the support of his teachers, was able to both learn English and pass the California High School Exit Exam. Passing the exam was the motivation Mario needed to realize his dream of enrolling at Cañada College. When he visited the campus for the placement exam, it was "a dream come true. When Mario started college, he joined Upward Scholars, benefitting from the book and food vouchers, parking permit reimbursement, and, since the pandemic, grocery gift cards as well. He also met regularly with his Upward Scholars tutor, Catherine Sanchez, who has been instrumental to his success at Cañada. While a full-time student at Cañada, Mario also worked full-time at a restaurant. However, at the start of the pandemic, he was laid off, like many others. Determined to make ends meet, Mario applied the résumé and interview skills he learned in college to land an interview with local nonprofit LifeMoves. In November of 2020, he started as a residential service coordinator there. Working at LifeMoves has helped Mario give back to the community and pay forward all of the support he has received from communities like Upward Scholars. Mario plans to graduate from Cañada in Spring 2021 with an AA in Business Administration. In the fall, he plans to start at San Francisco State University to pursue a BS in Business Administration with a concentration in Information Systems, another dream of his. The investment Upward Scholars made in my education is the best asset in this world, and this is going to allow me to have a better life and make a better world I’ll always remember how they supported me in my life, in my educational journey. There are no words to express how appreciative I am. Photo: At his graduation from the San Mateo Adult School, Mario (left) shakes hands with the former Director, the late and beloved Larry Teshara.

New year, same lovable Special Assistant! This week, Guillermo is back sending out the first grocery gift cards of 2021. While many of us hoped the new year would somehow end the pandemic, sadly, that did not happen. Despite this minor setback, Upward Scholars is committed to providing this extra support to our students to alleviate the financial burden of the ongoing pandemic. We hope you stay well, stay safe, and continue to #MaskUp! #UpwardScholarsFamily

Students: The virtual JAMS start TODAY! If you are interested in improving your knowledge and skills in English, Math, or Physics in preparation for the upcoming Spring Semester, be sure to register today. To sign up, visit https://canadacollege.edu/jam/.

Congratulations on your first week as Director of Sequoia District Adult School, Jon! We are excited to continue to work with SAS under your leadership and bring more of your amazing students into the #UpwardScholarsFamily.

Students: EOPS is now accepting applications for the spring semester. Some of the benefits you receive by participating in EOPS are priority registration, academic and personal counseling, graphing calculator loans, PTK membership fees, CSU and UC transfer application waivers, and much more. EOPS is accepting students with at least 9 units without a limitation for the spring semester only. This means that more of our Upward Scholars students are now eligible to apply. If you ...would like to know more or want to apply for EOPS support, please email [email protected] or visit the EOPS website for your respective colleges. The Cañada College EOPS website will be linked below for reference. https://canadacollege.edu/eops/eops.php