Staff

 
 
 

Linda Prieto
Executive Director

As the daughter of immigrants who left Mexico to give their children a better life, Dr. Linda Prieto grew up working in the agricultural fields of the central San Joaquin Valley in California, but her heart was in the classroom. In second grade, her teacher was the first person she heard say the word college – until that point in her life, Dr. Prieto didn’t know anyone with more than a sixth-grade level education. But like her parents, she too believed that education could break the cycle of poverty. A belief in education drove her to earn her Bachelor’s degree in sociology from Stanford, a Master’s degree in education from Harvard, and a Ph.D. in education from UT Austin. She began her work in the nonprofit sector as vice president of programs at ALearn, a Santa Clara-based math and college readiness program for underserved students. In addition to serving as ED of Upward Scholars, she is raising her son to be just as excited about learning and service as she has always been.