Inspiring Conversations with Tessa Zimmerman of Upstream Education

Today, we’d like to introduce you to Tessa Zimmerman.

Tessa, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I grew up experiencing severe anxiety in the classroom, specifically panic attacks. Every time I would have a panic attack, my teacher would either hand me a stress ball or send me to the principal’s office. I found neither of those responses to be helpful.

Fast forward to high school, I received a full scholarship to a private school prioritizing student mental health. Each morning in the homeroom, my high school principal, Mr. Quirk, would guide our entire school with a mindfulness or positive psychology tool. This changed my life, as I learned concrete strategies to self-regulate and manage my anxiety.

When I got to college, I recognized the inequity in my education experience: I had been extremely lucky to get a full scholarship to a private school that prioritized mental health, but I believe all students deserve to have access to Tier 1 mental health support (like I did).

This inspired me to start Upstream Education, a nonprofit that trains and equips educators in our program of bite-sized Tier 1 Mental and Social Emotional Learning tools. Today, Upstream impacts 48,000 students across 80 school and district partners.

Upstream and I have recently received recognition for our impact. Upstream won the Morgan Stanley Alliance for Children’s Mental Health Award, and I made the 2024 Forbes 30 Under 30 list. My anxious student self could never have imagined that my greatest challenge would lead me here!

We all face challenges, but would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The road has absolutely not been smooth (is any road?!).

A perpetual challenge we face is funding. School and district budgets change and evolve, which makes it hard to continue programs (even if they are going well in that school or district). This has been especially hard currently as the federal ESSER dollars come to an end on September 1st.

All of this being said, we’ve had some incredible foundation partners come alongside us to support Upstream and ensure schools that cannot afford the program can still get access.

We’ve been impressed with Upstream Education Inc., but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share about what you do and what sets you apart?
Launched in 2016, Upstream Education’s mission is to make it as easy as possible to equip educators and students with bite-sized Social Emotional Learning tools. Upstream addresses the constraints of classrooms and academic schedules through 120+ bite-sized, 5-10-minute lessons that come with scripts and matching presentations.

Upstream’s tools have had remarkable results for student’s and educators’ well-being (which is what I am most proud of!). During the 2020-21 school year, students learning an Upstream once per week experienced the following results:

-Statistically significant reduction in anxiety
-Reduction in stress
-1 in 3 students reported using the Upstream tools outside of the classroom

Educators implementing the Upstream tools during the 2021-22 school year experienced the following results:

-Decrease in stress
-Increase in non-reactivity
-Increase in mindfulness

Upstream works with different schools, districts, and organizations across the country, including Denver Public Schools, the Partnership for Los Angeles Schools, and Pasadena Unified School District, ultimately impacting 48,000 students weekly.

Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
Most people initially thought I studied education or psychology in college when they met me. Still, I actually studied social entrepreneurship (and I am so glad I did, as it gave me the tools to start Upstream).

Pricing:

• Access to Upstream’s Curriculum: $2,750
• Access to Upstream’s Curriculum & Professional Development: $5,500

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.upstreamedu.org/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/upstream_education/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/upstream-edu

Image Credits
Alexander Hellar and Christopher Austin Creative