September 2023 Newsletter
“Born in a small town & from a poor family, I never imagined entering college.
U-Go is my wing to reach my dream.”
– Rista Febriyanti, Indonesia
As the new academic year begins, we are thrilled to share news that illustrates the impact U-Go is making. We hope you enjoy this brief update that shows the quality of our work, congratulates our first graduates and announces bold growth in the number of scholars in the U-Go family.
Our Scholars are Excelling
Our first cohort of U-Go scholars have achieved stunning academic success. In five of our largest countries of operation-- Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam -- our partners achieved 100% pass rates. This is a combined total of 675 scholars (just from those partners) who are now advancing to the next year. Three of our other partners had pass rates above 96%. This is a strong testament to how seriously our scholars view our support and how hard they are willing to work for a brighter future.
First Graduates
U-Go and the Ayala Foundation congratulate our first graduate in the Philippines, Dona Mae Oco. Dona is no stranger to financial struggles, as her single mother has only sporadic work as a security guard. They had scraped together the funds for her initial years of university, but were then hit by unemployment. Just when she was in danger of dropping out, we were able to grant her the scholarship that got her through the final year of school. She is now a proud graduate (with honors) of Philippine Normal University, one of the country’s most-respected teacher training colleges.
"The moment I decided to let go of my dream, U-Go held my hand and gave me hope. Thank you Ayala Foundation and U-Go!May you continue bridging the gap that hinders our fellow dreamers!"
Our partner in Vietnam, The Relay Fund, happily reports 12 new graduates. For their incoming class of U-Go scholars, they estimate that 40% will be pursuing medical degrees – a nice example of how a U-Go scholarship does not just affect the young woman, but also her community.
Doubling Down!
As a result of these successes, and thanks to the generous support of investors like you, we are now more than doubling the number of U-Go scholars. From 1,000 in our launch year, we will now grow the program to 2,400 for the new academic year! Picture 16 Boeing 737’s lined up on a runway, with every single seat on each plane occupied. That’s how many scholars are now in-flight thanks to your support of our humble start-up.
Mark Your Calendar
We are excited to have confirmed events in the following cities. If you are able to attend, or have friends in these cities who you think would be interested in learning more about U-Go, please send us an email and we will be happy to forward the invitation. Hope to see you, and your friends, there!
Friday, October 27th: Chicago
Saturday, November 4th: San Diego
November TBA: Sydney
As always, thanks for your ongoing support of U-Go. If you have ideas for how you can help us continue to make a massive impact, please drop me a note.
With warmest regards,
John Wood
Founder & CEO
