Meet the Team Behind: Upwardly Global

Upwardly Global helps immigrants, refugees, and asylees build brighter futures—connecting skilled professionals with career opportunities, offering free coaching, and empowering women in the workforce. Learn more here! 

Can you tell me about the need for your work? 

Today, immigrants to the US are more educated than in any other time in our country’s history. About 50% of recently arrived immigrants have a bachelor's degree at minimum, yet one in four are unable to get a job at their skill level. This leaves over two million work-authorized immigrants and refugees without employment. Our goal is to dismantle employment barriers for professionals while advancing the inclusion of their skills into the US economy. We’re working to build an equitable, welcoming country where everyone— including immigrants, refugees, and asylees— can fully contribute and thrive. 

What do your programs entail?

Upwardly Global connects immigrants, employers, and communities to help businesses gain skilled employees and newcomers to contribute their talents and flourish. We support work-authorized immigrants and refugees to restart their careers in the United States, offering a free program that helps them get back to work in their chosen fields. Our custom career coaching program helps immigrants identify their potential career path, find work opportunities, build a resume, access training and certifications to be a competitive candidate, and accept thriving-wage job offers. We have a big focus on women, as they carry the burden of unpaid household and care work, limiting their ability to assume leadership roles. 

What is your Women’s Economic Power initiative?

Immigrant women face unique systemic barriers toward economic power and employment opportunities. Our Women’s Economic Power initiative promotes inclusion and belonging for women in the workplace. We aim to create pathways to economic power by supporting immigrant women in accessing training programs, scholarships, networking events, and peer support groups. These methods guide immigrant women through a successful job search journey and support them in securing positions that end the cycle of economic inequality. We work with thousands of women per year, empowering them to find promising career paths. 

Who are the people you work with?

Our work is global— we work with immigrants from all backgrounds, assisting them in navigating career changes when they immigrate to a new country. We’ve placed over 11,500 job seekers into skill-aligned, high-paying jobs, with an average starting salary of $67,000. We’ve reached tens of thousands through our career coaching program, helping individuals learn what career path best suits their skills and interests. Our top countries of origin are Ukraine, Afghanistan, and Venezuela, with the majority of job placements occurring in industries like technology and healthcare.