An Uplift Success Story: Giovanny Sanchez
I am Giovanny Sanchez, a 2012 graduate of Uplift Williams Preparatory School. I currently serve as the President of Uplift Education’s Alumni Board and was recently appointed to the Uplift Board of Directors. I’d like to share my story to illustrate the “full circle” impact of investing in Uplift Education.
I am the eldest of three boys and the first in my family to attend high school. I am proud to share that all three of us graduated from Uplift, setting us all on a pathway to economic freedom. When asked what success means to me, I reflect on my journey. In conventional terms, I’m considered successful. I am an account executive at a rapidly growing tech company in Dallas, own a home, and provide for my family. Uplift Education paved the way for my economic opportunities. However, I define success not by my own hard work and achievements but by the opportunity to reinvest in the community that nurtured me.
Uplift Education is a community, public charter school network encompassing 45 schools and 23,000 students, which invests to ensure higher education and careers are accessible to every student, regardless of their background or zip code. Students attend Uplift at no cost to their families, and many of its students come from lower socioeconomic backgrounds like I did. Uplift teachers and counselors provide an unparalleled level of support and a nurturing place for students to learn and develop academically.
They provide a world-class education while helping students gain real world exposure and access to top colleges and successful careers that they may not have known existed. Uplift promotes the whole scholar, addressing the unique physical, mental, and social emotional support that students need from pre-K through 12th grade and provides resources at every step for alumni as they matriculate into college and the workforce.
As a graduate of Uplift Williams, I never would have thought that I was only a decade away from sitting in the governance seat at the very organization that supported my dreams. Before I attended Uplift, I did not think that college would be an option for me. Uplift’s culture and rigorous academic approach helped instill a work ethic that has supported the success I’ve achieved in college, my professional life, and leadership in the community.
When I think about my full circle journey, it is imperative that I pay it forward and serve the community that empowered me. There is nothing compared to the real lives of students whose lives can change. I hope you will join me in contributing to the bright futures of students who will be empowered to lead and become the leaders that our world will need.
Sincerely,
Giovanny Sanchez
Alum and Board Member
