What We Do
Our Program
The Upward Project is a career-development program for high-achieving, first-generation college students from low-income families. We begin working with students the summer before they begin college, and stay with them through the first year of their post-college career. During the program’s five years, we provide career development counseling (including internship placements), academic coaching, and financial support.
Summer
Our summer program is all about supporting our incoming Scholars, who have just graduated high school. Through the summer, they participate in a series of workshops to prepare them for the transition to college, attend career days hosted by corporate partners, and begin the process of mapping their career development plans through individualized meetings and group workshops. Summer is also used to enhance and diversify Scholars' social and cultural capital opportunities. Once they matriculate to college, Scholars transition to our year-round program.
Year-Round
During the academic year, The Upward Project team offers ongoing support to Scholars. We provide academic coaching, career counseling, and serve as a support structure whenever challenges arise. We work with Scholars on summer internship placement throughout the school year, make connections to build a network, and help to align course selection with career goals. We also provide financial resources, as needed, to help our Scholars get the most from their undergraduate years.
Financial Support
Participation in The Upward Project is completely free to our Scholars and their families. Additionally, we provide all of our participants with four types of financial support:
The Internship Fund ensures that Scholars will never have to turn down a career-advancing opportunity for financial reasons. Although we prefer that our Scholars secure paid summer internships, we know that some high quality opportunities, especially for underclassmen or Scholars pursuing research or medicine, do not offer adequate compensation. The Internship Fund covers the shortfall in those cases.
The Opportunity Fund enables Scholars to access the full range of social and networking opportunities available to undergraduates. The fund allocates $4,000 to every Scholar to be spent—with the oversight of Upward Project staff—during the undergraduate years.
The Emergency Fund covers expenses associated with short-term crises that could otherwise derail a semester or a college career. For example, the fund has covered the replacement cost of a stolen laptop, and provided a monthly groceries budget for a Scholar forced to live off-campus. The fund is accessed on a case-by-case basis.
We also provide each scholar with a laptop, a book stipend, and new professional attire.