Welcome to UPals Partners

The Transformative Power of Education to Change Lives

A college education is transformational. It is a force to end poverty and drive economic growth for all communities. No longer can a high school diploma alone guarantee a path to a decent standard of living. Despite widespread efforts to increase the percentages of first generation, underserved students enrolling in college, the actual numbers are disheartening. Only 54% of Whites, 32% of African Americans and 25% of Hispanics enroll in college. Faced with complex issues and cultural barriers, there are a multitude of issues that may detour a good student; lack of family guidance towards college preparation, lack of financial literacy towards college tuition and expenses, and the daunting hurdles of navigating the college process.

Demystifying the College Experience — UPals Program

There is no better teacher than experience. A UPals program demystifies the college process for first generation, underserved youth with the clear objective of making entry to college a possibility. UPals’ programs are designed to simulate a real life college experience for its participants. Developed as a 5 year commitment for parents and students, UPals works at many levels to keep the student, family, business and university community engaged.

UPals is unique in its approach. Each UPals program is created as a public/private partnership. UPals is a multi-year program. Starting with students in 7th grade, UPals offers opportunities to take classes taught by university professors and business leaders. Students become part of the fabric of a university campus and begin to visualize themselves as college students.

UPals Partners is a 501c(3) non-profit organization dedicated to creating private/public partnership to offer the UPals program nationally. Our goal is to work with institutions of higher learning to implement successful UPals programs and then provide ongoing support for their continuous success.