Uplift Education receives $90,000 grant to enhance postsecondary advising as part of the “To and Through” Advising Challenge

Dallas, Texas, Oct. 18, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Uplift Education’s Road To College program was selected to receive a $90,000 grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation through the “To and Through Advising Challenge.”  The challenge was awarded to districts that will meaningfully impact high school students’ journey through graduation and into postsecondary education, especially low-income and students of color. 

Guidance and support for alumni has long been an integral part of Uplift’s flagship Road To College program, and this grant will provide additional resources as the organization prepares to support the growing alumni population which will double in the next three years. 

“We’re changing our model of support.  This grant gives us a way to stay connected and guide our alumni in a more individualized way and provides us with the resources to move forward strategically and thoughtfully as we prepare to support a growing population of graduates,” said Daniel Gray, Senior Director of Road to College.

A team of college counselors sits on every Uplift campus and provides individualized instruction for every step of the college journey from ACT preparation, college visits, essay and application assistance, financial aid guidance, and choosing the best fit college.  Previously, each campus team also had an alumni counselor as a dedicated resource for graduates matriculating into college.  With this grant, on-campus teams will be solely focused on the growing high school populations, and a team of Alumni Success counselors will work at the network-level to provide support to alumni by college and region.

“The work accomplished by the Road To College team and our alumni is something I’ve been extremely proud of during my time at Uplift.  As we grow and serve larger populations of low-income, first-generation, and minority students, I’m excited to see how this shift in our model will continue to increase college persistence and success for the students who need it most,” said Yasmin Bhatia, CEO of Uplift Education. 

About Uplift Education

Uplift Education is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization operating a network of 40 tuition-free, college preparatory, public charter schools in Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington, Irving, Grand Prairie and DeSoto serving students in Pre-K- 12^th grades. Uplift schools provide a rigorous multidisciplinary curriculum with an emphasis on college preparation and the International Baccalaureate.  Uplift is one of the Top 5 IB Districts in the nation, in number of authorized programmes, and educates nearly 19,000 students, with the majority being low-income and minority students who will be the first in their family to attend college.  Uplift schools are public schools -- students are selected by a blind lottery with no information collected on their past academic performance. For more information, visit uplifteducation.org or facebook.com/uplifteducation. 


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Sara Ortega
                    Uplift Education 
                    469-621-8498
                    sortega@uplifteducation.org