A Light in Our Community: Remembering Amado Flores Rentería
Amado graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in 2019.
When Amado Flores Rentería arrived in the United States from Mexico at age 21, he knew no English. It took him four months to find his first job as a cook at a Mexican restaurant, earning $8 an hour. Years later, he would be an engineer, a Board member, a mentor, and one of the people who best embodied what Upward Scholars hopes is possible for every student.
Learning, Step by Step
Amado began by learning English at Sequoia Adult School. From there, he enrolled at Cañada College and earned his Associate of Science degree in engineering. While at Cañada, he worked at the Campus Computer Center. Upward Scholars founder Elizabeth Weal still remembers him describing how amazing it felt to finally have a job with a day off.
Amado was one of the first Upward Scholars students to transfer from community college to a four-year university. He earned his B.S. in civil engineering from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and built a career as a project engineer at Webcor and Disney Construction, Inc., and later as an application engineer at Dayton Superior.
Giving Back, Again and Again
Amado never saw his own success as separate from that of other students. He was a featured speaker at many early Upward Scholars events, where he helped our community understand what is possible when adult learners are given the right opportunity and support. In one of those speeches, he said:
“What is amazing to me about this country is that there are people here who are willing to help people they don’t know, without judging them, without saying, ‘Oh, you are undocumented. Oh, you are Mexican. Oh, you are too old to go to school.’ These people are there to help you when you need it most, at the critical moment.”
Amado became one of those people. For six years, he served on the Upward Scholars Board of Directors. He tutored students and joined our Conversation Clubs, practicing English alongside current learners. Local photographer Mark Tuschman also featured his story in Together We Rise: Immigrants in America, a photo-documentary book that introduced his journey to readers beyond our community. Whenever Upward Scholars called on him, he showed up.
A Light in Our Community
Amado was kind, warm, generous, and a friend to everyone he met. After a years-long battle with cancer, he passed away on September 13, 2026. His community, from our founder and staff to fellow Board members to students he tutored, rallied around him during his illness, and he never stopped caring about the students who would come after him.
His life and how he showed up for others remain an important part of the Upward Scholars story.