Students Rising Above

Students Rising Above Empowers students facing systemic barriers to define and find success via education, career, & life. Learn more at www.studentsrisingabove.org

SRA provides one-on-one mentoring and advising, financial support, access to health insurance and medical and dental care, academic guidance, and a comprehensive college prep curriculum that helps students determine which schools to apply to, how to file for financial aid and scholarships, and how to transition to the social and academic rigors of college life. 90% of our students graduate from

college which is nearly 3 times the national average for low-income, first gen students. SRA also provides students with summer internships so that they can gain hands-on professional work experience in their field of interest. Students are connected to the SRA community network of individuals and employers who are able to help our students advance their professional goals. Our students represent the rich cultural diversity of the Bay Area and they are breaking the cycle of poverty as the next generation of employees and leaders who are accelerating positive change in our communities.

We're thrilled to welcome two new members to the SRA Board of Directors: Nikki Ahmadi and Jill Seman.Nikki (often found ...
08/13/2026

We're thrilled to welcome two new members to the SRA Board of Directors: Nikki Ahmadi and Jill Seman.

Nikki (often found on her bike on weekends) has a connection to education access that goes back to a trip to Everest Base Camp, where she visited the homes and schools of girls receiving scholarships through Empower Nepali Girls. She was struck by how far their ambitions reached despite how limited their access had been. That trip confirmed what she already believed: access to education doesn't just change what someone knows, it changes what they can imagine for themselves.

Jill has spent more than two decades working with students, parents, and educators. She got through college on Pell Grants, scholarships, and work-study, and her engineering career since has shown her how important it is for those same opportunities to reach students from every background.

Join us in welcoming Nikki and Jill to the SRA community.

Our students are already living through this shift. AI is part of their coursework, their job searches, their everyday d...
08/11/2026

Our students are already living through this shift. AI is part of their coursework, their job searches, their everyday decisions about what comes next, and the college access field is still figuring out what that means for first-gen and low-income students.

That's why we're co-hosting "College to Career in the Age of AI." Two days left to register.

📅 August 13, 2 to 6 PM
📍 1920 Broadway, Oakland
RSVP: bit.ly/NCCPC-Aug13

They're off. Back in June, over 50 of our college-bound Rising Stars spent a full day at Oakland Unity High School prepa...
08/05/2026

They're off. Back in June, over 50 of our college-bound Rising Stars spent a full day at Oakland Unity High School preparing for their next chapter.

Advisors walked students through what's ahead, hands-on, table by table. Whiteboards filled up with questions and notes. And a panel of SRA alumni, now in college themselves, shared what they wish they'd known before their first semester.

Now, with move-in day just weeks away for many of them, that prep is about to pay off.

Another Rising Stars welcome retreat in the books, and our largest one yet!This weekend, 92 incoming students joined SRA...
08/04/2026

Another Rising Stars welcome retreat in the books, and our largest one yet!

This weekend, 92 incoming students joined SRA at San Jose State University for our annual overnight welcome retreat, officially kicking off their journey with the Rising Stars Class of 2027. Students spent two days diving into workshops, a campus scavenger hunt, and time bonding with 10 college student leaders who've walked this path before them, while parents joined in through a Parent Academy session on the college timeline ahead.

More from the weekend coming soon. Stay tuned!

Meet the panelists for "College to Career in the Age of AI," happening August 13:Kaitlyn Endo, Career Engagement & Colle...
08/03/2026

Meet the panelists for "College to Career in the Age of AI," happening August 13:

Kaitlyn Endo, Career Engagement & College Success Practitioner, UC Berkeley
Jeff Manassero, CEO & Co-founder, Rivet School
Diana Phuong, Executive Director, Braven (Bay Area)
Bryana Curtis, Outreach & Engagement Director, The Walt Disney Company
Moderated by Leonard Medlock

Co-hosted by Students Rising Above and OneGoal

Northern California College Promise Coalition
📅 August 13, 2 to 6 PM
📍 1920 Broadway, Oakland
RSVP: bit.ly/NCCPC-Aug13

What a day. On July 30, 84 SRA students spent the afternoon at JPMorganChase San Francisco office, sitting down with 16 ...
07/31/2026

What a day. On July 30, 84 SRA students spent the afternoon at JPMorganChase San Francisco office, sitting down with 16 professionals working in tech, biotech, healthcare, education, law, and finance.

A big thank you to JPMorganChase. for hosting and to every single panelist who gave their time to talk with our students about their careers and their paths to get there. Conversations like these help students see the range of paths open to them, many they didn't know existed before today.

Sign up to volunteer and help make these connections for our students:

https://sra.tfaforms.net/61?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=career_conference_2026

Meet Tomorrow's Panelists! SRA's first Career Conference is coming up, hosted at JPMorgan Chase. We're so grateful for t...
07/29/2026

Meet Tomorrow's Panelists!

SRA's first Career Conference is coming up, hosted at JPMorgan Chase. We're so grateful for their partnership in making this happen.

Meet a few of the professionals joining our panel:

Julia Cook, Program Manager, eBay (SRA alumna!)
Tim Moffet, Head of Healthcare Services, JPMorgan Chase
Stephanie Rivetz, VP and Assistant General Counsel, JPMorgan Chase
Brandy Hyatt, Program Manager, Energy Solutions
Amy Vides, Associate, Enterprise Software, Silicon Valley Bank (SRA alumna!)
Lisa Durand, Pipeline Technical Director, Industrial Light & Magic

Along with a few more panelists joining us for the conference.

This is such a valuable opportunity for our students to connect with professionals across industries and see what's possible for their own futures.

Thank you to everyone giving their time to invest in the next generation. 🙌

JPMorganChase eBay

This Thursday, join us for the Biotech, Healthcare, Education & Society panel, one of several sessions at the Students R...
07/27/2026

This Thursday, join us for the Biotech, Healthcare, Education & Society panel, one of several sessions at the Students Rising Above Career Conference.

Our five panelists come from very different fields and very different backgrounds. Daisy Leung leads portfolio strategy at a biotech company after a 30-year career spanning R&D and drug development. Dina Collins built her career in institutional finance and now works in government and healthcare banking. Dr. Sergio Martinez began at community college in Oakland and went on to earn his Ph.D. from UC Berkeley. Sos Nazaryan transferred from a community college in Los Angeles to UC Santa Barbara and now helps guide the next generation of doctors. Tanesha Walker, an SRA alumna, now teaches kindergarten in Oakland after becoming the first in her family to finish college.

Students who attend will hear directly from professionals across biotech, finance, public health, and education about what shaped their careers.

📅 Thursday, July 30, 2026
🕒 3:00 – 6:00 PM
📍 JPMorgan Chase, 560 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94105

Register for the SRA Career Conference by tomorrow to:🤝Meet professionals💼 Explore career opportunities🌟 Build your netw...
07/21/2026

Register for the SRA Career Conference by tomorrow to:

🤝Meet professionals
💼 Explore career opportunities
🌟 Build your network
💸 Receive a $50 gift card for attending & checking in! (Distributed after the event.)
✉️ Check your email for the registration link!

July 30th at 2-6 PM in San Francisco

Haven't heard of NCCPC yet? As a founding member, Students Rising Above has helped grow this coalition to 70+ organizati...
07/21/2026

Haven't heard of NCCPC yet? As a founding member, Students Rising Above has helped grow this coalition to 70+ organizations working on college and career access. On August 13, come see what that looks like in person.

We're co-hosting "College to Career in the Age of AI" with OneGoal and the NCCPC network. Expect a panel discussion, practitioner breakouts, and a happy hour to meet the network afterward.

📅 August 13, 2 to 6 PM
📍 1920 Broadway, Oakland

Open to new partners and funders exploring this space. RSVP: bit.ly/NCCPC-Aug13

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