Guiding Our Youth Toward College and More
In commemoration of Urban Upbound’s 16th anniversary, we reached out to program alumni to look back at how they benefited from our services and how it helped them achieve their dreams. One of the clients that we spoke recently with is Jay Shah, who was first introduced to Urban Upbound in 2013.
At that time, while looking to improve his test scores, Jay connected with the Urban Upbound College Access program. Jay was then paired with a peer mentor who worked with him on test-taking, college applications, and navigating school life, among other topics.
Jay’s hard work paid off — he was admitted to Baruch College in the Spring of 2015. Yet, this was not an easy time for him. In the middle of preparing for college, Jay’s father passed away from cancer. It was a big turning point in his life, especially because Jay was close with his father, who often took Jay to the convenience store where he worked. As a child, Jay watched both his parents work long hours. Their work ethic inspired Jay while at the same time leading to a profound revelation: “I’m learning to work smarter, not harder” Jay told us.
A first-generation immigrant and first-generation college graduate, Jay shared that the Urban Upbound College Access program really helped shape his career track. In addition to college prep classes, our College Access Internship Program allowed Jay to explore different career paths. Jay is currently working at Dice Menu Inc., a food logistics and event planning startup founded under the guidance of venture mentoring services from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Growing with the company, Jay does everything from sales and account management to operations.
Watch Jay tell his story at our Relief and Recovery Virtual Benefit on Wednesday, October 21st, 2020. Join the LIVE stream video at 7 PM, with entertainment by a prominent DJ, raffle prizes, and more! To receive updates, follow our social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter or subscribe to our newsletter. If you’d like to help more youth to achieve their dreams of attending college, please consider making a donation.
