Community Stories

Belarusian immigrant rebuilds his project management career through Upwardly Global “It’s really hard when you don’t know where to go, and Upwardly Global is guiding you and even pushing you sometimes, which is great — it’s what we need as newcomers,” says Andrei, an immigrant from Belarus. “That means everything

Argentine international analyst and father reclaims career in the U.S. Growing up in a military family in Argentina, Santiago was no stranger to changing scenery — but moving his young family to the U.S. in early 2023 was different. It wasn’t just a new job or city; it was an

Afghan journalist and social worker rebuilds her dream in the U.S. Back in Afghanistan, Marjila wasn’t just a journalist — she was a collector of dreams. She spent four years volunteering with homeless, orphaned children in Kabul. While helping them with necessities like food, clothes, and schooling, she began to

Egyptian professional reclaims her career as an auditor at the New York State Department of Labor “I had a job that most people dream of,” Amal reflects, having spent over two decades building a life and career in Egypt. “I was proud of what I achieved.” Amal earned a degree

Hong Kong-bred Building Surveyor breaks career ground at Prometheus Real Estate Group with support from Upwardly Global Man Yu lives and breathes buildings. After spending 40 years in Hong Kong, a bustling city renowned for its towering skyscrapers, it felt only natural for him to make a career out of

Ghanaian HR professional overcomes challenges to relaunch career with Upwardly Global In Melissa’s first year in the United States, she applied to over 3,000 jobs. A stream of rejection emails followed, if she even heard back at all. Prior to immigrating in 2019, 39-year-old Melissa had spent over a decade

Trinidadian professional jumpstarts U.S. career with Upwardly Global In 2022, Mandy arrived in the U.S. with very few career expectations, but kept hearing one thing repeatedly: She would have to start at the bottom. This reality not only disheartened her, but it also wouldn’t pay the bills. When she and

Anh balances her accounting career and childcare as her family starts anew in the U.S. Anh had to take some time off of work. In 2017, she relocated from Vietnam to Dallas, Texas, and in the following years, she welcomed her two daughters into the world. Upon arrival, she found

Lorenzo harnesses his skillset to support other immigrants and refugees at Upwardly Global Lorenzo arrived in the U.S. just before the borders closed in February of 2020. He made a life-changing decision to move from Italy to be with his now-wife. Had he moved one week later, the looming pandemic

Samah immigrates to support her daughter’s dream, beginning again herself “I love to learn. I can’t stand still and do nothing; it’s not my nature,” says 46-year-old Samah, who moved from Egypt to the United States with her family in 2019. “Even when I have nothing to do, I create

Ade, a Beninese immigrant, joined the Upwardly Global family and achieved his professional dreams In 2015, Ade won the lottery. Not the gambling kind — the visa kind. Three years into his professional IT career in Benin, a French-speaking country in West Africa, he moved to the U.S. on a

Despite the yearslong job search, Najma lands career of her dreams When her father passed away in the Somali Civil War, Najma’s mother left the country for Norway when her daughters were still toddlers, hoping for an opportunity to provide for her children — an opportunity she did not have

From Harvard to NewYork-Presbyterian, Ann tackles new challenges in American academia Ann’s corner office is tidy and practical, warmed by glowing lamplight. She peers to her left, and her monitor’s camera captures a professional headshot in real time. This is the angle that her students so often see her from