Internationally trained professionals arrive in the United States with years of education, experience, and a deep commitment to their professions.
Leaving behind the systems that recognized those credentials and the careers that once defined them, they must now navigate an unfamiliar employment landscape, language barriers, credential recognition, and the emotional weight of starting over alone.
In Houston, BakerRipley is working with the community and local healthcare systems to bridge these gaps.
For almost 120 years, BakerRipley has connected neighbors and communities to resources, education, and opportunities through access to community centers, childcare, career development, small business support, and technology. They serve children and seniors, veterans and immigrants, individuals and families.
A Shared Vision
Founded on a shared belief that talent should never go to waste, BakerRipley became an Upwardly Global Connect partner in September 2025. BakerRipley sought adaptable, career-focused resources to strengthen its existing workforce development programs, and UpGlo offered exactly that through its learning platform, career-readiness resources, and employer-focused support.
Less than a year later, the impact has been remarkable. Together, their partnership has
- Enrolled 98 internationally trained professionals on UpGlo’s learning platform.
- Helped 70 participants advance through industry-specific learning pathways.
- Supported 49 learners in earning high-demand certifications that strengthen their opportunities in the US workforce.
Impact Beyond the Numbers
Behind every certification and updated résumé is someone rediscovering their confidence. For BakerRipley’s Director of Learning and Workforce Initiatives, Angela Johnson, the work extends far beyond workforce development.
“Our program gives people hope,” she said. “When students come to our program and discover others who share similar experiences, we’ve seen students become emotional simply because, for the first time, they realize they are no longer alone.”
Located in one of Houston’s most diverse neighborhoods—an area often described as the “Ellis Island of Houston”—BakerRipley serves refugees, asylum seekers, and immigrants from dozens of languages and cultures. Before participants ever enter a classroom, staff spend time understanding their unique journeys, connecting them to housing assistance, childcare, healthcare, career advising, and other services that create stability before career advancement begins.
Once participants are ready, UpGlo becomes an essential part of that journey because BakerRipley chose to embed the learning platform directly into its curriculum.
“We treat Upwardly Global the same way we treat digital literacy,” Angela explained. “It’s not an option. It’s a requirement. We train our students on it, we track their progress, and we hold them accountable.”
That intentional approach has helped internationally trained professionals strengthen their English communication skills, prepare for interviews, build competitive résumés, and gain the confidence to present years of international experience in ways US employers recognize and value.
BakerRipley’s Healthcare Pathway for Internationally Trained Professionals is sponsored through the Texas Workforce Commission Adult Education and Literacy Healthcare Initiative for Internationally Trained Professionals Grant.
The initiative supports English language learners with healthcare-related degrees and professional experience earned outside the United States as they work to re-enter the Texas healthcare workforce.
Vanessa’s Story
When Vanessa and her family immigrated to the United States, she carried more than twenty years of experience strengthening health systems across Latin America. Yet despite her impressive career, she found herself wondering whether she would ever be able to continue the work that had always given her purpose.
Joining BakerRipley’s Community Health Worker program gave her a new understanding of the US healthcare system, but discovering Upwardly Global helped her to see her value.
“Upwardly Global gave me something I didn’t realize I had lost: confidence,” Vanessa shared. “It reminded me that my experience still mattered and that starting over did not mean starting from scratch.”
Through résumé development, interview preparation, and career coaching, Vanessa learned how to communicate her expertise in ways employers could understand. Today, she sees her journey not simply as earning a certification, but as reclaiming a future.
A Journey in Perseverance
Originally from Ecuador, Gabriela arrived with a degree in business administration and years of payroll experience. While working remotely for a company in her home country, she knew she needed stronger English skills and a better understanding of the US payroll system to build a career here.
Through BakerRipley’s ESL for Internationally Trained Professionals program and training opportunities offered through Upwardly Global, Gabriela completed the ADP Entry-Level Payroll course, gaining both technical knowledge and confidence.
Her determination paid off when she secured a payroll position with Cypress-Fairbanks ISD. Gabriella’s journey demonstrates what becomes possible when internationally trained professionals receive the tools they need to translate existing talent into new opportunities.
As Angela puts it, “She came to our program seeking a chance, and through her effort, she created her own opportunity.”
Reclaiming Identity
Sometimes success looks like something much smaller than a new job, but equally as significant.
Angela recalls meeting Dr. Navarro, a dentist rebuilding her career in the United States. During their first conversation, Angela addressed her by her professional title.
“I called her Dr. Navarro,” Angela recalled. “She grabbed her chest and said, ‘I haven’t heard that in so long.’”
It was a simple moment, but one filled with extraordinary meaning.
“For internationally trained professionals, losing access to their profession often means losing a piece of their identity. Restoring that identity is just as important as helping someone earn a certification. We get to experience it every day,” Angela says. “Every day they are returning to the full version of who they feel they are and want to be.”
A Vision for the Future
BakerRipley hopes to continue expanding opportunities for participants in its Healthcare Pathway program and to help other community-based organizations integrate UpGlo’s resources into their workforce development efforts.
“We have to help other organizations learn about Upwardly Global, so more people have the same opportunity and access,” Angela said. “Everybody’s not going to come through our door. But every life matters. Every future is impacted.”
Together, BakerRipley and Upwardly Global are proving that career pathways are about more than employment. They’re about restoring confidence, honoring experience, building community, and ensuring internationally trained professionals are recognized not for what they lack, but for everything they already bring.
Interested in our UpGlo Connect partnership model?
