Engineering managers have the highest median income of all occupations in the U.S. But, only 5 out of every 100 engineering managers in the U.S. are Black. Only 7 out of 100 are Latino. The statistics for other top earning careers are similar or worse. The reality is there is a very small number of students from underrepresented backgrounds entering these high earning careers.
While there are many socioeconomic, historical, and institutional factors for the gap in representation, one of the primary causes is the lack of access to resources, knowledge, and professional network to inspire these students about the possibilities of different career paths - to teach them about what they can aspire to. Meanwhile, teachers are expected to do more with less.
We created TeachUp to empower teachers with the tools of the 21st century to help prepare students for a successful future.
Meet the Team
Roy Rodriguez is the founder of TeachUp and a program manager in the tech industry based in New York. Raised in the Bronx, he understands the challenges faced by underrepresented communities on a personal level. Growing up, there wasn’t anyone he could ask questions about career paths or options, so he missed out on critical opportunities simply because he didn’t know the options existed. Roy founded TeachUp to scale career knowledge to young people, with the goal of bridging the gap between potential and opportunity for the next generation.
Jason Tran is a Southern California-based software engineer with a background in real estate and bartending. With a passion for technology from a young age, he has dedicated himself to the world of software engineering. Jason values teamwork, personal creativity, honesty and integrity. His true goal is to leverage the power of code to empower every young generation and create a better future for all.
Travis Swinford is a UX designer living in NYC with a background in graphic design and art. Growing up in the rural South, he saw firsthand how fewer resources could lead to fewer opportunities for students and their communities. His hope is to help design TeachUp to be as useful and enjoyable as possible to everyone involved.
