Be a Part of Future Ready Week: November 1-8. 2025

Future Ready Week

November 1-8, 2025

The Vision

UP Partnership will coordinate Future Ready Week in November 2025.

The vision for Future Ready Week is to highlight a series of free, community-driven events designed to help more young people and families learn of the opportunities, resources and youth supports available to lead to a brighter future. This cross-sector coordinated effort of Future Ready partners showcases the pathways to successful futures for students in Bexar County after high school.

How You Can Participate

Coordinate and plan events that align to the North Star goal of increasing postsecondary and workforce credentialing enrollment to 70% by 2030 or the themes below.

Themes

🗓️ Nov. 1 – Schedule Saturday: Learn how to set yourself up for college success!

  • Alamo Colleges District: Financial Aid Saturday, open 9 AM – 1 PM, offering in-person support to create an FSA ID and complete the FAFSA — the first step to accessing grants, work-study, and loans that help fund your education. Learn more.

🎤 Nov. 2 – Speak up Sunday: Let your voice be heard! Tell an elected official, whether through social media, writing a letter or email or in person, about what you most want to learn about to be better prepared for your future! 

🎓 Nov. 3 – Major Monday: Spotlight different academic majors or departments to broaden awareness of postsecondary options.

⚙️ Nov. 4 – Trade Tuesday: Explore trade and vocational pathways. 

🧘 Nov. 5 – Wellness Wednesday: Focus on wellbeing as an important step to success.

  • San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce: CORE4 STEM Expo at The Boeing Center at Tech Port San Antonio, a hands-on STEM activities and career exploration for seventh and eighth graders. Learn more.

📝 Nov. 6 – Take-note Thursday: Tips on how to get to academic success like how to study, financial aid, etc. 

  • San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce: CORE4 STEM Expo at The Boeing Center at Tech Port San Antonio, a hands-on STEM activities and career exploration for seventh and eighth graders. Learn more.

🚀 Nov. 7 – Future Ready Friday!: Focus on career planning, goal setting, and life after college.

  • San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce: CORE4 STEM Expo at The Boeing Center at Tech Port San Antonio, a hands-on STEM activities and career exploration for seventh and eighth graders. Learn more.

🎉 Nov. 8 – Student Success Saturday at Hemisfair Park: Setting You Up for Success emphasizing connecting with college and career resources. 

  • Bexar County BiblioTech: College Workshop at  Biblotech Edu, a free workshop offering college-readiness tools and application support.  Learn more.

Shaping the Future: UP Partnership Launches First-Ever Leaders of Tomorrow Fellowship

Shaping the Future: UP Partnership Launches First-Ever Leaders of Tomorrow Fellowship

Twenty leaders selected from across Bexar County for new leadership program aimed at San Antonio’s youth

San Antonio, TX (Aug. 28, 2025) — UP Partnership proudly announced the selection of its inaugural cohort of UP Leaders of Tomorrow (ULoT), a fellowship program aimed at empowering young leaders between the ages of 16 and 24 to grow their skills in leadership, civic engagement, and systems-level change.
The ULoT Fellowship will run from September 2025 through May 2026, engaging fellows in a transformative journey through leadership development, mentorship, and community-based advocacy. The 20 selected participants will commit approximately 10 hours per month to attend leadership training sessions, work with mentors and guest speakers, and contribute to youth-led community projects. The youth live across diverse City Council Districts and Bexar County Precincts.
“These young leaders represent the voice and vision of San Antonio’s future,” said Cathy Jones, Ph.D., UP Partnership’s CEO. “We hope their participation in this fellowship will equip them with the tools they need to advocate for building better communities where everyone can thrive.”
Fellows will receive a stipend of $2,500 disbursed in three installments over the program’s duration. The stipend will serve as payment for the time and dedication these youth will invest in educational programming and active participation in civic initiatives on behalf of the Future Ready Bexar County Plan.  
The UP Leaders of Tomorrow Fellowship reflects our community’s Future Ready mission to amplify youth voice in shaping systems that serve them — from education to workforce pathways. By building young people’s capacities in policy, leadership, and collective impact, the fellowship supports the development of tomorrow’s changemakers today.
 
The 2024–2025 UP Leaders of Tomorrow Fellowship class represents a diverse cross-section of young leaders across Bexar County. Collectively, the fellows represent seven local school districts including Future Ready Public School Districts East Central ISD, Harlandale ISD, Judson ISD, Northside ISD and San Antonio ISD; five higher education institutions including Future Ready Partners Northwest Vista College, St. Philip’s College, Texas A&M University-San Antonio, Trinity University and University of Texas at San Antonio; and includes two recent university graduates.  
 
In addition, they bring connections to numerous community-based organizations including Future Ready Partners Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwest Texas, Healthy Futures of Texas, Lemonade Circle, Students of Service – San Antonio, Youth Do Vote, YMCA of Greater San Antonio and YWCA San Antonio and represent all San Antonio City Council districts and Bexar County precincts.
 
More about UP Partnership: 
Founded in 2009, UP Partnership’s mission is to ensure all young people in Bexar County are ready for the future. We are a San Antonio-based nonprofit social impact organization that coordinates data, aligns pathways and promotes policy change that can help to unlock the full potential of young people ages 0-24 years in our region. Learn more about UP and the Future Ready Bexar County Plan – a strategic plan to guide shared action, language, goals, metrics, and practices that drive progress – at uppartnership.org.
 
More about Future Ready Bexar County:  
In April 2022, UP Partnership launched the Future Ready Bexar County Plan, which currently has more than 100 institutions signed on as official partners. This plan identified pillars that are necessary for improving outcomes among young people in our community – healing, access, voice and system supports. The Future Ready Bexar County Plan has a collective North Star goal of increasing postsecondary and credential enrollment of Bexar County’s high school graduates from around 50% at the launch of the plan to 70% by 2030. For more information on the Future Ready Bexar County plan, please visit: FutureReadySA.org.  

UP Partnership Names Dr. Cathy Jones as New CEO 

UP Partnership Names Dr. Cathy Jones as New CEO

Veteran educator and equity-driven leader will begin July 14th 

SAN ANTONIO (June 25, 2025) — Following a national search, nonprofit executive and seasoned educational leader Cathy Jones, Ph.D. has been selected as the next CEO of UP Partnership by the organization’s Board of Directors. Jones will assume her role on July 14, bringing with her more than two decades of experience in advancing regional systems leadership, school improvement, community-driven impact and opportunities for young people in education. 

Cathy Jones, Ph.D., new CEO of UP Partnership
Dr. Cathy Jones, Ph.D., has been selected as the new CEO of UP Partnership.

“After a thorough, robust candidate vetting process diligently undertaken by our search committee, Cathy rose as the top candidate due to being a highly respected regional leader and lifelong educator, as well as a champion for transformational partnerships between schools, nonprofits, and public agencies,” said Elaine Mendoza, UP Partnership Chair of the Board. “She brings the right mix of vision, experience, and values to lead UP Partnership into its next chapter.” 

Dr. Jones most recently served as Executive Director of Austin Partners in Education, where she led student-focused tutoring and mentoring initiatives to strengthen college and career readiness. Her career began in the classroom, and she has held roles ranging from elementary teacher and mentor to assistant superintendent in Central Texas school districts. Her leadership is marked by a commitment to student opportunity and sustainable change. 

“I am honored to join UP Partnership at this pivotal time,” said Jones. “I look forward to building relationships with the more than 100 Future Ready institutional partners and the San Antonio community to advance the Future Ready vision and ensure that every young person in Bexar County has the support and opportunity they deserve to thrive.” 

She holds a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Angelo State University, a master’s degree in Educational Administration from Texas State University, and a doctorate in Educational Administration from The University of Texas at Austin’s Cooperative Superintendency Program. 

The CEO search committee in charge of vetting and selecting the candidate was chaired by UP Partnership Board Secretary Bobby Blount, along with Mendoza; Board Treasurer Tom Moreno of Texas Partners Bank; and board members Christopher Martin of United Way of San Antonio and Bexar County; Shari Albright, Ed.D. of the Charles Butt Foundation; Jeff Goldhorn, Ph.D. of Education Services Center Region 20; Sarah Baray, Ph.D. of Pre-K 4 SA; Roland Toscano of East Central ISD; and Simon Salas of Good Samaritan Community Services.  

“We were intentional in our search for a leader who could elevate our bold vision with heart, experience, and a strong collaborative spirit,” said Bobby Blount. “Dr. Jones checks all those boxes and more.”  

Dr. Jones will succeed Emily Calderón Galdeano, Ed.D., who served as UP Partnership’s Interim CEO since October 2024 and will support a seamless transition. Calderón Galdeano will continue to serve as the organization’s Chief Impact and Strategy Officer. 

Jones’s full biography can be found linked here. 

More about UP Partnership: Founded in 2009, UP Partnership’s mission is to ensure all young people in Bexar County are ready for the future. We are a San Antonio-based nonprofit social impact organization that coordinates data, aligns pathways and promotes policy change that can help to unlock the full potential of young people ages 0-24 years in our region. Our mission is ambitious, challenging, and achievable when we organize our efforts across the area. Learn more about UP and the Future Ready Bexar County Plan – a strategic plan to guide shared action, language, goals, metrics, and practices that drive progress – at uppartnership.org. 

More about Future Ready Bexar County:  

In April 2022, UP Partnership launched the Future Ready Bexar County Plan, which currently has more than 100 institutions signed on as official partners. This plan identified pillars that are necessary for improving outcomes among young people in our community – healing, access, voice and systems supports. The Future Ready Bexar County Plan has a collective North Star goal of increasing postsecondary and credential enrollment of Bexar County’s high school graduates from around 50% at the launch of the plan to 70% by 2030. For more information on the Future Ready Bexar County plan, please visit: FutureReadySA.org.  

Attendees Show the Power of Youth in Civic Roles during a local Mayoral Forum

More than 400 Attendees Show the Power of Youth in Civic Roles during a local Mayoral Forum

On April 1, more than 400 young people and their families from across San Antonio engaged with mayoral candidates at the inaugural Future Ready Bexar County Youth-Led Mayoral Candidate Forum and Resource Fair. This event was designed to amplify youth voices in local elections, educate the community on key issues and inspire voter participation ahead of the upcoming election. 

UP Partnership | Youth Led Mayoral Candidate Forum
UP Partnership | Youth Led Mayoral Candidate Forum
UP Partnership | Youth Led Mayoral Candidate Forum
UP Partnership | Youth Led Mayoral Candidate Forum

This event was organized by a coalition of young people from Future Ready Bexar County institutional partners, including CAST Schools Network, Futuro San Antonio, Higher Education Advisory Board, NXT Level Path Builders, Project Worth Teen Ambassadors, San Antonio Youth Commission, Trinity University and Youth Do Vote, as well as community civic partner the League of Women Voters San Antonio.

 

10 of the 27 total San Antonio Mayoral Candidates answered questions developed by young people giving insights to their plans on topics such as mental health, education, and workforce development.

Candidates who were present include:

 

• Santos Alvarado

• Beto Altamirano

• John Courage

• Adriana Rocha Garcia

• Melissa Cabello Havrda

• Gina Ortiz Jones

• Jade McCullough

• Robert T. Melvin

• Clayton Perry

• Christopher Reyes.

 

Youth Leaders and Organizers included:

 

• Audrey, Junior, Young Women’s Leadership Academy, San Antonio ISD

• Deniff, Graduate, University of Texas at San Antonio and Student Election Clerk,

• Julia, Senior, Keystone School and the moderator for the event

• Leona, Senior, CAST Lead High School, East Central ISD

• Michael, Student, University of Texas at San Antonio

 

Young people and their families also had the chance to register to vote, receive voter education materials and civic engagement resources. They also had access to speak to the Mayoral candidates after the forum.

Trellis Foundation Invests in Future Ready Bexar County

Trellis Foundation Invests in Bexar County's Future with Grant to Strengthen College and Career Advising

In December 2024, the Trellis Foundation made an investment of $450,000 to UP Partnership to enhance college and career advising, support students’ postsecondary success, and advance data-driven decision-making. This investment will help to maximize the impact of the Future Ready Bexar County Plan. 

Launched in April 2022, the Future Ready Bexar County Plan brings together more than 100 partner institutions committed to improving outcomes for young people through its core pillars: Healing, Access, Voice, along with essential System Supports. The plan’s North Star goal is to increase the percentage of Bexar County high school graduates enrolling in a postsecondary degree or credential to 70% by 2030. 

“The Future Ready Bexar County Plan is a powerful example of what’s possible when communities come together to ensure every student has access to the support they need to succeed,” said Kristin Boyer, CEO & President of Trellis Foundation. “We are particularly impressed by UP Partnership’s commitment to data-informed practices, and we look forward to seeing the impact of this collaboration—not just in Bexar County, but as a model for other communities across the state.” 

This grant will support the development of a robust data infrastructure to better serve students across the seven Future Ready School Districts — East Central ISD, Edgewood ISD, Harlandale ISD, Judson ISD, Northside ISD, San Antonio ISD and Southwest ISD — by strengthening collaboration between K-12 schools and higher education institutions. By aligning Future Ready advising strategies with improved data systems, this investment will: 

  • Expand district-level data capacity to support college and career advising.

  • Provide real-time insights to help educators guide students toward postsecondary success.

  • Enhance the use of postsecondary data to inform strategic enrollment planning at colleges and universities.

  • Enable targeted interventions for students at risk of not enrolling or completing their postsecondary education.

“By fostering stronger alignment between school districts and higher education institutions, we can ensure that all young people in Bexar County have access to the tools and opportunities they need to navigate the postsecondary education landscape,” said Dr. Emily Calderón Galdeano, UP Partnership’s Interim CEO. “This grant allows us to strengthen Future Ready strategies, ensuring that every young person in our community has a clear pathway to success.” 

About Trellis Foundation   
Trellis Foundation advances equitable educational opportunities in Texas by supporting postsecondary programs, practices and systems that reduce disparities and lead to success for low-income students and students of color. More information is available at www.trellisfoundation.org.   

Read the inaugural Future Ready Annual Report

Read the inaugural Future Ready Annual Report

JANUARY 2025

advancing future ready work

UP Partnership and Future Ready Anchor Partners have developed a delivery plan that aligns efforts with key metrics to reach 100,000 students. The plan’s 12 strategies incorporate the Future Ready pillars of Healing, Access and Voice, along with the essential System Supports. This strategic approach aims to braid the efforts across the My Brother’s Keeper San Antonio, Diplomás and Excel Beyond the Bell San Antonio networks, and the improvement collaboratives Restorative Practices Academy, Equitable Enrollment Collaborative and Excel Academy.

Fiesta medal design contest

In an effort to include youth voice, UP Partnership is hosting a youth-led Fiesta Medal design competition.

Prompt: Design a medal that depicts what it means to be Future Ready. Learn more at futurereadysa.org

Medals can be designed as either a circle or rectangle, both one sided and up to 2 inches in height and width. Designs must be made using the colors linked in our brand guide and be in a vector file format (svg or eps).

Artists may include up to two designs per submission. But each artist may only submit once, so review your work carefully! Submit your work to bit.ly/2025Design.

Happy Holidays from UP Partnership

Happy Holidays from UP Partnership, adorned with small snowflake elements

DECEMBER 2024

Grateful for you

As we enter the holiday season, we wanted to thank you all for everything you do as Future Ready Bexar County partners. 2024 was a great year that had many bright spots across the county all led by our collaborative work guided by our pillars of Healing, Access and Voice. Together, we are working together to reach our North Star goal of increasing the enrollment of Bexar County high school graduates into postsecondary education or credential programs to 70% by 2030!

Fiesta medal design contest

In an effort to include youth voice, UP Partnership is hosting a youth-led Fiesta Medal design competition.

Prompt: Design a medal that depicts what it means to be Future Ready. Learn more at futurereadysa.org

Medals can be designed as either a circle or rectangle, both one sided and up to 2 inches in height and width. Designs must be made using the colors linked in our brand guide and be in a vector file format (svg or eps).

Artists may include up to two designs per submission. But each artist may only submit once, so review your work carefully! Submit your work to bit.ly/2025Design.

Ready Makers in Action – July 2024

JULY 2024

Two-Year Future Ready Bexar County Plan Update

A little over two years have passed since UP Partnership launched the Future Ready Bexar County Plan on the steps of City Hall. Since its launch, substantial progress has been made towards the plan’s North Star goal of increasing postsecondary enrollment in degree or credential programs to 70% by 2030. Over 100 cross-sector community partners have made actionable commitments to advance the equity pillars of Healing, Access and Voice, the must HAVEs for equity amongst young people.  

Although the initial plan was designed to proceed without additional funding, the collaboration and innovative approaches of Future Ready partners enabled the community to secure an historic commitment of $114 million over the next seven years to help Bexar County achieve its goal. 

Key contributions from community “Ready Makers” that included this investment include: 

  • The direct admissions program, which reserves spots at the University of Texas at San Antonio for students in the top 25% of San Antonio ISD high school students as early as their junior year;
  • An enhanced focus on alternatives to juvenile probation in partnership with Bexar County and the Department of Justice;
  • The expansion of AlamoPROMISE to 20 school districts and partners, including 73 San Antonio-area high schools and programs, as well as private, charter and homeschools in Bexar County.
  • And there are many other initiatives that have also taken place by Ready Makers throughout the city.

A coordinating committee consisting of key partner institutions – United Way of San Antonio and Bexar County, San Antonio Area Foundation, H. E. Butt Foundation, Communities In Schools of San Antonio, CAST Schools Network and Alamo Colleges District – will play a crucial countywide role in the continued implementation and success of the plan by ensuring all Future Ready partners deepen and strengthen their initial efforts.  

Our coordinating committee partners are fully dedicated to advancing more coordinated, student-centered approaches across all Future Ready partner institutions. 

East Central ISD, where each of anchor partner institutions are currently involved in, is serving as a pilot district for this work. 

UPdates and Professional Development Opportunities

UP Partnership is seeking presenters for the Future Ready Practitioner Conference on October 11, to be held at the Education Service Center, Region 20. The conference, themed “Stronger Together for a Brighter Future,” offers professional and networking opportunities aimed at fostering a Future Ready San Antonio by supporting sectors that aid young people through the equity pillars of Healing, Access and Voice. Proposals are due by July 26th and can be submitted here. For more information, please contact Tyler Radwin, UP Partnership Manager of K12 and Justice, at tyler@uppartnership.org.

Applications for Excel Academy’s Class of 2025 are now open through August 2nd. In partnership with Search Institute, this multi-year leadership development program is designed for youth-serving professionals, focusing on Racial Equity, Developmental Relationships and Continuous Improvement. For more information on how to apply, please contact Shelby Drayton, UP Partnership Senior Manager of Coaching and Facilitation, at shelby@uppartnership.org. 

To further deepen, strengthen and scale the efforts of the Future Ready Bexar County Plan, UP Partnership has hired several key positions to amplify the endeavors of the plan. These team members consist of Dr. Chryssa Delgado, Managing Director of Programs, Christina Martinez, Managing Director of Public Engagement, Dr. Paul Rodriguez, Director of Policy and Development and Kyra Thomas, Data Manager. Read more about them here. 

Ready Makers in the News

  • Creating a legacy through CAST students (San Antonio Report) As an anchor partner of the Future Ready Bexar County Plan, CAST Schools Network is dedicated to enhancing and amplifying youth voice in collaboration with Future Ready partners. This commitment demonstrates how involving young people in decision making processes better prepares them for future success.  

  • Commentary: San Antonio has to close the funding gap for children and youth (San Antonio Express News) Over 250,000 San Antonio residents live in poverty, with more than half being under the age of 18. Addressing persistent poverty requires ensuring all our young people are ready for the future. UP Partnership, along with more than 100 Future Ready partners, continues to advocate for the San Antonio City Council to allocate 20% of the growth in the city’s annual revenue to additional grant-making and initiatives focused on San Antonians ages 0-24. 

Joint Leadership Table

A review of Cradle-to-Career and College and Career Readiness data dashboards

On June 11, Sara Dunn, UP Partnership’s Director of Data and Information Management led an activity guiding partners through the updated Cradle-to-Career and College and Career Readiness data dashboards at the Joint Leadership Table held at the DoSeum. Partners were able to delve deeper on metrics such as kindergarten readiness, third grade reading proficiency, eighth grade math proficiency, high school graduation rates, college readiness, college enrollment, education attainment and employment across Bexar County school districts, school districts in cities comparable to San Antonio across the State of Texas and various academic school years.  

Partners also heard from a panel featuring a mix of current students and alumni from CAST Schools Network, moderated by liz moseley, UP Partnership’s Director of K12 and Youth Development.  Panelists shared their feedback and personal reflections on a Youth Voice survey finding, which gathered insights from over 400 juniors and seniors that attended the 2024 Future Ready Youth Summit on challenges they have encountered in postsecondary planning and enrollment. 

Lastly, Christina Martinez, UP Partnership’s Managing Director of Public Engagement, shared the results of the Youth Funding Poll conducted in late May.  The poll included over 700 registered voters and 100 individuals aged 17- 18. The findings revealed that 76% of Bexar County residents support increased funding for youth services, among other insights.  

Future Ready Councils

Future Ready Policy Council

The Future Ready Policy Council is driving progress for Bexar County’s youth. A major milestone was achieved on June 5, when the City of San Antonio Charter Review Commission presented public feedback on charter amendments including setting aside 20% of the city’s annual revenue growth, approximately $20 million, for youth services to City Council. This comes after months of advocacy from community leaders and youth.  

Future Ready Data Council

The Future Ready Data Council gathered at Our Lady of the Lake University on April 30 to work on aligning organizations’ data capacity and data needs into a student journey map for alignment. UTSA also presented potential plans for an expansion of data capacity needs and the council previewed East Central’s Salesforce-based College, Career and Military Readiness (CCMR) Dashboards used to monitor this district’s progress on this subject.  

Future Ready Communications Council

The Future Ready Communications Council convened at the San Antonio Area Foundation on June 4 to share successful media strategies in Bexar County and exchange best practices. The group also highlighted compelling stories of impact and explored ways to amplify their collective efforts, ultimately elevating their communications efforts to drive greater results. 

K12 and Justice

My Brother's Keeper San Antonio (MBKSA)

Future Ready Partners and youth representatives came together at San Antonio Preparatory Schools on May 15 for MBKSA’s May convening. By engaging directly with young people, particularly boys and young men of color, practitioners gained valuable insights into key indicators for success and heard their perspectives on how to increase postsecondary enrollment to the Future Ready North Star of 70% by 2030. 

The Restorative Practices Collaborative (RPC)

Cohort 4 of the two-year RPC is set to launch in August 2024, with a conclusion date of April 2026. A steering committee of Future Ready partners including, local educators and subject experts, is guiding the development of programming for this new cohort, focusing on actionable strategies to scale restorative practices, improve social-emotional readiness and school connectedness. The new cohort will include more than 50 participants from approximately 16 school campuses from Future Ready Partners including East Central ISD, Essence Prep Public School, Harlandale ISD, Juvenile Justice Academy, Judson ISD, San Antonio ISD, as well as Communities In Schools of San Antonio and  Stand Up SA. 

K12 and Postsecondary

Diplomás

Network members came together at CaféCollege on April 11 to advance its mission to boost access to valuable programs and services for Dreamers and Latinx students. By creating a resource landscape map, Future Ready Partners will identify and connect existing resources across Bexar County that support this population. Additionally, the network is developing an empathy interview to gather firsthand feedback and insights from Dreamer and Latinx students, ensuring their needs are heard and addressed.  

Equitable Enrollment Collaborative (EEC)

EEC wrapped up the 2023-2024 academic year with a final meeting on May 21 at the University of Texas at San Antonio. The collaborative achieved a significant accomplishment with the development of language for a Unified Advising Guide for grades 6-12, providing valuable insights for both college and career advising across four local school districts. EEC members are also working with Achieving the Dream to conduct a landscape analysis of K-12 of school district partnerships with higher education institutions, evaluating the alignment of strategies for middle and high school students with the Future Ready North Stary 2030 goal.  

K12 and Youth Development

Excel Beyond the Bell San Antonio (EBBSA)

EBBSA brought together Future Ready partners for a coffee mixer and Transportation Access Survey Date reveal at the Magik Theatre. Akeem Brown, VIA Board Trustee and superintendent of Essence Preparatory Public School,  joined the discussion to share findings that shed light on the transportation barriers young people in Bexar County face in accessing youth programs. The data highlighted key accessibility and transportation needs, including ADA accommodations, reliable afterschool transportation and supervision during transportation. 

Excel Academy

Excel Academy Class of 2023 and Class of 2024 celebrated the end of the academic year on June 4 at the DoSeum. The event recognized their collective successes and strengthened relationships through an evening of networking and celebration. Class of 2024 participants presented their organizational plan’s visual boards, engaging with attendees by offering additional insights and answering questions about their plan. Both the Class of 2023 and 2024 received certificates honoring their accomplishments in Excel Academy.  

Future Ready Events

Future Ready Practitioner Conference

In May, more than 200 youth-serving professionals across Bexar County came together at the inaugural Future Ready Practitioner Conference held at St. Mary’s University.

The conference was hosted by UP Partnership and a group of cross-sector partners, many of whom are members of My Brother’s Keeper San Antonio, Excel Beyond the Bell San Antonio and Diplomás networks, which helped form the conference’s programming.

The conference provided professional development and networking opportunities for teachers and college faculty, principals, counselors, economic advisors and college admissions officers, among others.

“The UP Partnership Practitioner Conference was an opportunity to celebrate innovations in practice for youth across our Future Ready Bexar County partners,” noted Dr. Abel Gonzales, Director of Instructional Outreach Programs at the University of Texas at San Antonio, “Teachers, faculty and staff members from every level of the education ecosystem shared how equity minded practitioners are making a difference in better serving the leaders of tomorrow.”

Moving the needle forward
with a national lens

Spotlight: San Antonio
Second Annual Funder Impact Summit

Dr. Emily Calderón Galdeano, UP Partnership’s Chief Impact and Strategy Officer, and Future Ready partner Dr. Mike Flores, Chancellor of Alamo Colleges District, spoke at the Second Annual Funder Impact Summit, hosted by Economic Mobility Systems in partnership with The Greater Texas Foundation, Commit Partnership, Educate Texas and the Rural Community College Alliance. The Summit brings together educational leaders and college presidents to share best practices in regional educational and workforce community impact work.

Dr. Calderón Galdeano and Dr. Flores kicked off the Summit with a spotlight session on San Antonio and shared the announcement of a $114 million investment over the next seven years for the Future Ready Bexar County Plan. They highlighted the importance of our community collectively working together to address the college and career pipeline for Bexar County and the role of data to accelerate outcomes, alignment, and public support for the work. 

Pahara-Aspen Fellowship program

Dr. Calderón Galdeano was also recently accepted into the newest cohort of The Pahara-Aspen Fellowship. This program is designed to strengthen and sustain leaders who are transforming public education so that every child is prepared to lead a free and fulfilling life.

Dr. Calderon Galdeano is one of 23 leaders nationally selected to be part of the highly selective program’s 2024 class. Leaders chosen represent a variety of public, nonprofit and private sectors experiences and perspectives.

Accelerate ED in San Antonio: Strengthening Accelerated Pathways to Degrees and Careers 2024 Summit for Dual Credit Programs

Dr. Briana Hagelgans, UP Partnership’s Director of K12 and Postsecondary, alongside Future Ready Partners Yvonne Benton, San Antonio ISD’s Coordinator of P-TECH and ECHS Programs, Dr. Amanda Holman, East Central ISD Director of College, Career and Military Readiness and Sara Mann, Alamo Colleges District’s Chief High School Programs Officer shared insights, challenges and achievements of work being completed in San Antonio at the 2024 Summit for Dual Credit Programs, a conference designed for colleges and universities, school districts and community organizations to advance dual credit and college readiness for their young people.

In a session entitled “Accelerate ED in San Antonio: strengthening Accelerated Pathways to Degrees and Careers,” Dr. Hagelgans and team presented on how UP Partnership, as a community backbone, has successfully fostered collaborative partnerships between local school districts and colleges and universities to enroll more high school students in career-connected programs that lead to postsecondary opportunities.

In Bexar County, Future Ready partners are co-creating expansion of dual credit, P-TECH and ECHS pathways that complement classroom learning with work-based experiences and internships so young people can develop professional behaviors, networks and experience before high school graduation.

“San Antonio Community Talk: Black Youth Today”
San Antonio DreamWeek 2024

John Jacobs, UP Partnership’s Director of K12 and Justice, was a panelist on “San Antonio Community Talk: Black Youth Today,” organized  by The Black Advisory Council of Big Brother Big Sister of South Texas (BBBS) and YWCA San Antonio. The  discussion focused on the current status of black youth in San Antonio, along with their future hopes and goals. The panel, which included black male professionals in Aerospace Engineering, Corporate Training and Entrepreneurship, provided valuable insights into mentoring boys of color. They shared best practices, success stories and emphasized how mentoring serves as a tool for healing in the community. Additionally, BBBS highlighted how their work aligns with youth healing commitments outlined in the Future Ready Bexar County Plan.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.

Ready Makers in Action – May 2024

MAY 2024

Future Ready partners guide local high school juniors and seniors with options for their post-high school success

On January 19 and 26, approximately 800 high school students from CAST Schools, Edgewood, East Central, Harlandale, Judson, Northside, San Antonio, Southwest and Lytle Independent School Districts participated in the Future Ready Youth Summit held at Northeast Lakeview College.

The Summit was hosted by UP Partnership and a group of cross-sector Future Ready partners from local school districts, colleges and universities, and youth development organizations  – many of whom are members of UP Partnership’s My Brother’s Keeper San Antonio, Excel Beyond the Bell San Antonio and Diplomás networks. Together, the partners co-created and facilitated the summit’s programming, which included career and degree pathways, college 101 and financial aid guidance. 

In addition to sessions they attended, the students listened to inspiring stories from Keynote Speakers that included San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg;  Warren Hurd, Northeast Lakeview College’s Vice President of College Services; Gable Crowder, Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Texas’ Director of Community Engagement; Dr. Ryan Lugalia-Hollon, UP Partnership’s CEO; and Dr. Emily Calderón Galdeano, UP Partnership’s Chief Impact and Strategy Officer.

Read more here.

Future Ready Leadership Table

Executive leaders from cross-sector community partners shared updates on the policy work being done under the Future Ready Bexar County Plan on April 4 at the Whitley Theological Center. This includes initiatives carried forward by the recently launched UP Partnership Policy Council, which includes advocacy centered around the ongoing San Antonio’s Charter Review process and attempting to close the gap in youth-funding by creating a set aside fund for children and youth to equal 20% of the City of San Antonio’s revenue growth — approximately $20 million that would be dedicated to youth services. Currently, young people ages 0-24 represent 35% of San Antonio’s population, but only 6% of funding goes to them. 

Over the past two months, dozens of community leaders including families, students and CEOs from various Future Ready Bexar County partners spoke at the City of San Antonio Charter Review commission meetings to advocate for the ongoing investment mechanism, which will guarantee that in the coming decades, San Antonio will have a steady stream of capable public servants, including business leaders, firefighters, teachers, community builders, affordable housing developers and many other key roles.

Partner Highlights Shared

Investment Strategy by H. E. Butt Foundation, San Antonio Area Foundation and United Way of San Antonio and Bexar County

Representatives from H. E. Butt Foundation, San Antonio Area Foundation and United Way of San Antonio and Bexar County updated Future Ready partners on their organization’s respective investment strategy for the next phase of the Future Ready Bexar County Plan.

Alamo Colleges District

Dr. Mike Flores, UP Partnership Board member and Alamo Colleges District’s Chancellor and Dr. Anne Monroe, Alamo Colleges District’s Chief of Strategic Enrollment Management, introduced the next steps Alamo Colleges District (ACD) are taking within their colleges to reach the North Star goal of 70% enrollment by 2030 which includes:

  • Actively expanding dual credit and career- connected programs in partnering school districts to truly reach students who previously didn't have access to ACD's programs.
  • Simplifying the admissions process to continue to remove enrollment barriers for Bexar County students and their families.
  • Committing to engage more student programs to make an immediate impact on workforce earnings, while also creating pathways to additional credentials and degrees with ACD and industry partners.

VIA Metropolitan Transit

Akeem Brown, VIA Board of Trustee member and Brian Dillard, VIA’s Vice President of Technology and Innovation, led a conversation on Youth Transit Access to ensure public transportation is not an obstacle for young people getting the supports and services they need throughout Bexar County.

Empower House and Rise Recovery

Jenny Castro, Empower House’s CEO, John Jacobs, UP Partnership’s Director of K12 and Justice and Evita Morin, Rise Recovery’s CEO were part of a panel discussion on scaling healing programs that reduce young people’s involvement in the criminal justice system. Panelists shared best practices and insights from their respective organizations to ensure Bexar County’s young people have the healing supports they need for a successful future.

Future Ready Joint Leadership Table

Our intergenerational table that meets quarterly and consists of senior leaders and youth representatives from all Future Ready partners, met on February 13 at Girls Inc. of San Antonio for the first meeting of 2024. Future Ready partners from Communities In Schools of San Antonio (CISSA), East Central ISD (ECISD), San Antonio ISD (SAISD), the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) and the YWCA San Antonio presented on the amazing progress partner have made to their action commitments focused on the equity pillar of ACCESS which, alongside HEALING and VOICE, are the must HAVEs for equity amongst Bexar County’s young people. 

UTSA and SAISD

Through connection and deep work with cross-sector partners, UTSA and SAISD announced in January a newly co-designed direct enrollment pathway that aims to remove barriers for SAISD students who want to pursue a college degree at UTSA. Of the first cohort, who are currently seniors in high school, over 150 students have been admitted at UTSA as of the date of publication. This work was facilitated through connections made through UP Partnership’s Equitable Enrollment Collaborative (EEC). Read more about this program here. 

East Central ISD

As part of the EEC, ECISD is working to ensure all students, PreK-12th grade, have postsecondary goals after high school graduation. Aspiration surveys were collected from students in 5th, 8th, 11th and 12th grades in order to create individualized postsecondary readiness plans that include college prep courses and needed standardized testing. To date, the district has seen the following successes:

  • 61% of the student population enrolled in postsecondary programs for the Fall 2023 semester, which is a 5% increase from 2022 and a 17% increase from 2021.
  • 309 students have enrolled in dual credit courses during the 2023-2024 school year, which is an increase of 178 students from the 2022-2023 school year.
  • 46% of the student population have met at least one indicator of college, career and military readiness, which is an 8% increase from 2022
  • 81% of the student population have completed their FAFSA and/or TAFSA financial aid applications, which is a 5% increase from 2022.

Communities In Schools of San Antonio
and YWCA San Antonio

Communities In Schools of San Antonio (CISSA) and the YWCA San Antonio continue to provide layered support to East Central ISD (ECISD) as members of the EEC. 

CISSA’s on campus staff members work to expand access to healing supports to ensure that all students feel safe at school and are engaged enough to connect to resources available to them through restorative practices guided by UP Partnership’s Restorative Practices Collaborative (RPC). The impact of those practices can be seen in classrooms at Pecan Valley Elementary School where teachers who have implemented restorative circles have seen a notable decrease in disciplinary referrals and minor incidents.

The YWCA continues to offer out of school programs For ECISD students such as their E=MC2 program that encompasses topics like math, financial and digital literacy, with Social Emotional Learning integrated into each session. Other after school program activities include gym time, outside time, American Sign language lessons, art classes, community projects and many more.

Councils

Future Ready Policy Council

The Future Ready Policy Council successfully launched on March 7, bringing together Future Ready partners to drive major shifts in policies that scale the equity pillars of Healing, Access and Voice to help the community reach the Future Ready North star goal of increasing the percentage of Bexar County’s high school graduates enrolling in a postsecondary degree or credential program to 70% by 2030.

Specifically, the Council strives to substantially increase the resources available to children and young people across Bexar County.

Future Ready Data Council

The Future Ready Data Council met on February 27 to continue the work of advancing Future Ready partners’ unified alignment of data capacity and insights to drive progress toward the North Star goal. The Council discussed a proposal of leading indicator metrics to assess progress toward the collective goal of the plan that included dual credit and advanced placement enrollment and outcomes; college, career and military indicators; the number of college applications students from partner ISD’s submit and 3rd grade STAAR reading test results.

Dr. Judy Zimny of Economic Mobility Systems (EMS) presented on the process of creating a student journey map which serves as visual representation of the path a student follows to achieve specific milestones and desired outcomes, spanning from early college and career awareness to, and through, postsecondary competition and eventual employment. By tracking this data, communities are able to create an ecosystem to help all students reach their desired postsecondary outcomes.

Future Ready Communications Council

The Future Ready Communications Council met on March 7 with a virtual meeting and introduction of the new Steering Committee composed of representatives from Future Ready Anchor Partner organizations Alamo Colleges District, CAST Schools Network, Communities In Schools of San Antonio, H.E. Butt Foundation, San Antonio Area Foundation and United Way of San Antonio and Bexar County.

The Steering Committee will work alongside UP Partnership’s Communications department to guide the Communications Council’s unified narrative of the collective impact work being done in Bexar County, while also expanding platforms for collective engagement and storytelling linked to the fulfillment of the equity pillars of Healing, Access and Voice.

Meet UP Partnerships Communication Team

UP Partnership’s Communications team creates messaging, provides strategic marketing and communications guidance to UP Partnership staff and partners, in addition to coordinating an editorial calendar to collectively share stories of healing, access and voice. The team consists of Jeannette Garcia Director of Communications, Ana Sevilla, Senior Manager of Communications and Carrie Ballard-Bañuelos, Storytelling Communications Manager. Read more about them here.

K12 and Justice

My Brother's Keeper San Antonio (MBKSA)

On February 29, Future Ready partners and youth representatives met for the first MBKSA convening of 2024 at Judson ISD’s J-TECH to begin identifying trends and disparities in data in order to begin co-designing population-level strategies that will impact Boys and Young Men of Color (BYMOC) in Bexar County. In addition, they also participated in a data story and root cause analysis to identify specific barriers BYMOC in the community face in their educational journey. Each sector — Prek-12, institutions of higher education, local government and youth development organizations — identified the top two barriers that will guide the network’s future strategies and implementation.

The Restorative Practices Collaborative (RPC)

RPC Cohort 3 held its final session on March 28 at Alamo Colleges District’s Central Office, Practitioners heard from Dr. Paula Johnson, Judson ISD’s Chief of Student Advocacy, on how strategies of targeted universalism used in RPC  directly tie to the Future Ready Bexar County Plan’s equity pillars:

  • 61% of the student population enrolled in postsecondary programs for the Fall 2023 semester, which is a 5% increase from 2022 and a 17% increase from 2021.
  • HEALING — Moving beyond punitive discipline to "fix" a child, the focus is on overcoming the root causes of behaviors and traumas many children bring into their school community.
  • ACCESS — To create more opportunities for postsecondary opportunities, the policies, practices and structures that are barriers for young people must be understood and addressed.

K12 and Postsecondary

Diplomás

The Diplomás network met on February 29 at Café College to continue their work to scale and expand access to promising programs and services that support postsecondary opportunities for Dreamers and Latinx students through the development of a landscape map. The map will help identify existing resources that are available throughout Bexar County that are designed to support that student population. The network is also moving forward with designing an empathy interview that is aimed at gathering feedback and insights directly from Dreamer and Latinx students.

K12 and Youth Development

Excel Beyond the Bell San Antonio (EBBSA)

EBBSA invited its network partners on February 8 to a coffee mixer and a funder panel moderated by UP Partnership’s CEO, Dr. Ryan Lugalia-Hollon. Panel participants included Future Ready Anchor Partners Andrea Figueroa, San Antonio Area Foundation’s Senior Program Officer for Youth Success, Meg Loomis, H. E. Butt Foundation’s Capacity Building Program Director and Dr. Jeniffer M. Richardson, United Way of San Antonio and Bexar County’s Senior Vice President of Strategic Initiatives and Public Policy who spoke on evolving relationships with out-of-school time (OST) organizations and/or programs through involvement with UP Partnership, Blue Meridian match funding and how those are likely to impact the support of families and youth programming.

Excel Academy

Excel Academy held its Spring Social March 28 bringing together all Excel Academy cohorts for an evening of relationship building, networking and recruitment for both the Class of 2025 and graduates who will serve on the Mentor Team for members of that class.

Future Ready in the News

  • Commentary: School violence must be addressed with wrap-around student care (San Antonio Express-News): Written by Future Ready partner Jessica Weaver, Communities In Schools of San Antonio’s President and CEO, addressing the need of wrap-around services for the whole-child.” While it’s tempting to blame the COVID-19 pandemic, and the years of stunted social and emotional learning it caused, or generic mental health crises, it is not that simple. The causes are myriad and multifaceted,” she wrote. 

  • Alamo Colleges credits Promise program with record enrollment for spring (San Antonio Express-News): Future Ready partner Alamo Colleges District has seen nearly 25% increase in students in the past decade, as well as a 9.7% increase in spring enrollment from last year with 66,703 students enrolling across its five campuses. Alamo Promise has reached 8,047 students this year, up 23.6% from last year thanks to “Alamo PROMISE, dual credit partnerships and expanded workforce education and development offerings,” the district said.

  • San Antonio High School Student’s leadership Skills Flourish with Virtual Exchange (Stevens Initiative)  Future Ready Partner Culturingua’s Joint Leadership Table youth representative Alma Dominguez shared her story of participation with the organization’s Global Social Entrepreneurship Journey (GSEJ), a project-based learning program that connects high school students from around the world to co-create solutions to a United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG).

  • Why San Antonio nonprofit is pushing for multimillion- dollar children’s Fund (San Antonio Express News) UP Partnership’s CEO Dr. Ryan Lugalia-Hollon was interviewed by the San Antonio Express News to discuss a new clause to San Antonio’s City Charter that would devote 20% of annual city revenue growth to children and youth which would result in millions of dollars annually for organizations and programs that serve Bexar County’s young people ages 0-24 who make up 35% of San Antonio’s population. 

Future Ready Events

Future Ready Practitioner Conference

In May, more than 200 youth-serving professionals across Bexar County came together at the inaugural Future Ready Practitioner Conference held at St. Mary’s University.

The conference was hosted by UP Partnership and a group of cross-sector partners, many of whom are members of My Brother’s Keeper San Antonio, Excel Beyond the Bell San Antonio and Diplomás networks, which helped form the conference’s programming.

The conference provided professional development and networking opportunities for teachers and college faculty, principals, counselors, economic advisors and college admissions officers, among others.

“The UP Partnership Practitioner Conference was an opportunity to celebrate innovations in practice for youth across our Future Ready Bexar County partners,” noted Dr. Abel Gonzales, Director of Instructional Outreach Programs at the University of Texas at San Antonio, “Teachers, faculty and staff members from every level of the education ecosystem shared how equity minded practitioners are making a difference in better serving the leaders of tomorrow.”

Moving the needle forward
with a national lens

Spotlight: San Antonio
Second Annual Funder Impact Summit

Dr. Emily Calderón Galdeano, UP Partnership’s Chief Impact and Strategy Officer, and Future Ready partner Dr. Mike Flores, Chancellor of Alamo Colleges District, spoke at the Second Annual Funder Impact Summit, hosted by Economic Mobility Systems in partnership with The Greater Texas Foundation, Commit Partnership, Educate Texas and the Rural Community College Alliance. The Summit brings together educational leaders and college presidents to share best practices in regional educational and workforce community impact work.

Dr. Calderón Galdeano and Dr. Flores kicked off the Summit with a spotlight session on San Antonio and shared the announcement of a $114 million investment over the next seven years for the Future Ready Bexar County Plan. They highlighted the importance of our community collectively working together to address the college and career pipeline for Bexar County and the role of data to accelerate outcomes, alignment, and public support for the work. 

Pahara-Aspen Fellowship program

Dr. Calderón Galdeano was also recently accepted into the newest cohort of The Pahara-Aspen Fellowship. This program is designed to strengthen and sustain leaders who are transforming public education so that every child is prepared to lead a free and fulfilling life.

Dr. Calderon Galdeano is one of 23 leaders nationally selected to be part of the highly selective program’s 2024 class. Leaders chosen represent a variety of public, nonprofit and private sectors experiences and perspectives.

Accelerate ED in San Antonio: Strengthening Accelerated Pathways to Degrees and Careers 2024 Summit for Dual Credit Programs

Dr. Briana Hagelgans, UP Partnership’s Director of K12 and Postsecondary, alongside Future Ready Partners Yvonne Benton, San Antonio ISD’s Coordinator of P-TECH and ECHS Programs, Dr. Amanda Holman, East Central ISD Director of College, Career and Military Readiness and Sara Mann, Alamo Colleges District’s Chief High School Programs Officer shared insights, challenges and achievements of work being completed in San Antonio at the 2024 Summit for Dual Credit Programs, a conference designed for colleges and universities, school districts and community organizations to advance dual credit and college readiness for their young people.

In a session entitled “Accelerate ED in San Antonio: strengthening Accelerated Pathways to Degrees and Careers,” Dr. Hagelgans and team presented on how UP Partnership, as a community backbone, has successfully fostered collaborative partnerships between local school districts and colleges and universities to enroll more high school students in career-connected programs that lead to postsecondary opportunities.

In Bexar County, Future Ready partners are co-creating expansion of dual credit, P-TECH and ECHS pathways that complement classroom learning with work-based experiences and internships so young people can develop professional behaviors, networks and experience before high school graduation.

“San Antonio Community Talk: Black Youth Today”
San Antonio DreamWeek 2024

John Jacobs, UP Partnership’s Director of K12 and Justice, was a panelist on “San Antonio Community Talk: Black Youth Today,” organized  by The Black Advisory Council of Big Brother Big Sister of South Texas (BBBS) and YWCA San Antonio. The  discussion focused on the current status of black youth in San Antonio, along with their future hopes and goals. The panel, which included black male professionals in Aerospace Engineering, Corporate Training and Entrepreneurship, provided valuable insights into mentoring boys of color. They shared best practices, success stories and emphasized how mentoring serves as a tool for healing in the community. Additionally, BBBS highlighted how their work aligns with youth healing commitments outlined in the Future Ready Bexar County Plan.