Who We Are

We’re a team of certified educators and counselors with decades of experience dedicated to serving students by empowering them academically and mentally. We started off in classrooms and realized that the support we give in the classroom isn’t enough.

Tutoring is typically considered a luxury expense for many parents, but it shouldn’t be. So far, roughly only 1 in 10 students gets high-dosage tutoring, according to the latest data from the National Center for Education Statistics’ School Pulse Survey. In 2023, roughly 52,000 teachers and other educational staff quit in the USA as reported by the Statista Research Department. These numbers demonstrate that the current education system is failing to prepare students and teachers for personal and professional success.

Just imagine…
What if every student:

  • Has a tutor who builds confidence and grows love of learning?

  • Feels capable and worthy?

  • Looks forward to learning and is motivated to do better?

As educators and counselors, we see the stark advantage, positive results, and lasting impact when students receive tutoring versus when they don’t. This is why Uplift Learners, Inc. was born. We advocate for students’ rights to receive support whenever they need it beyond the classroom.

Every student is worthy and deserves equitable access and opportunities to receive quality tutoring. Every teacher is worthy of professional development support and should get equitable access to support services.

Our team is especially dedicated to provide equitable access and opportunities for students labeled as at-risk, underserved, English as a Second Language (ESL), English Language Learner (ELL), Special Needs, and 504.

We partner with school districts to provide tutoring with our certified experts at no-cost for disadvantaged students and training for our teachers. We close the achievement gap through data-driven tutoring and mental health services.

Meet the Board

  • Stephanie Tran, M.S.Ed

    FOUNDER & CEO

    As an at-risk, ESL, and gifted and talented scholar, Ms. Tran found her calling in teaching when she joined the fight to close the achievement gaps with Teach For America in 2014. While completing her master’s at Johns Hopkins University, Ms. Tran taught at the same Title I elementary school as she attended as a kid. In 2019, Ms. Tran opened Tutor Route, a company providing accessible tutoring with certified teachers at homes and school districts. Since tutoring continues to be a luxury for at-risk scholars, Ms. Tran founded Uplift Learners, Inc. in 2023 to provide equitable access to educational services and resources for at-risk schools serving scholars and teachers.

  • Sandy Wey

    TREASURER

    As a Montessori expert for 21 years and being a mother of 3, Mrs. Wey sees the massive need for alternative methods to support students that the traditional methods do not offer, especially for special needs students. Her passion is to help students find their purpose in life through their strengths and interests. In 2018, Mrs. Wey launched Something Sweet and Neat, a company that provides Montessori-inspired kits allowing parents without resources to send their children to expensive Montessori schools to still have access to similar educational tools for their children to develop and grow. Involved in the community, Mrs. Wey is often seen volunteering at her children’s campuses and contributing resources.

  • Jennifer Medina, M.Ed

    SECRETARY

    As an education and intervention expert with a combined experience of 13 years and a mother to a baby boy, Ms. Medina is committed to ensuring disadvantaged students’ needs are being met. Having extensive experience with ARD meetings, and creating an intervention system for Tier 1-3, 504, and special needs students for an at-risk school, Ms. Medina has shown that interventionists’ work at schools are limited. Schools need extra creative support to provide the work needed. Branching off into her own mental wellness business, Ms. Medina provides therapy to families and students in need and is a true light of beacon for those who are fighting lifelong illnesses. Ms. Medina is an inspiration to her clients.