Match Day is almost here - new coaches, new scholars, and the art of a great first meeting.
Coaching  ·  Compass
a monthly dispatch from Level Up Cincinnati
Issue No. 04
August 2026
This month's theme —
First
Impressions.
Match Day is almost here - new coaches, new scholars, and the art of a great first meeting.
From the Team

This is the month it all begins again. On August 11 we gather at Oakley Greens for Match Day - and this year it's our biggest one yet. Our largest freshman class to date is joining the Level Up family, and a new cohort of coaches is stepping in alongside them, fresh off our first-ever virtual Coach Orientation.

Which means a lot of first conversations are about to happen. Here's the good news: a great first impression has nothing to do with being impressive. You don't need the perfect introduction or a polished resume of life advice. You need to be curious, ask real questions, and let your scholar do the talking. The coaches who connect fastest are the ones who show up interested, not interesting.

So whether you're meeting your scholar for the first time or kicking off year three together, treat this month like a fresh start. The first conversation sets the tone for every one that follows. Make it count.
— the Level Up Team
In This Issue
 
01 The Question for your next conversation
 
02 On the Calendar upcoming events
 
03 Field Notes this month's recap
 
04 Toolkit resources to share
 
05 Worth Reading a short read
 
01
The Question
“
What's the best way for me to show up for you this year?
Ask your scholar
02
On the Calendar
 
AUG
11
Oakley Greens · 5:00–8:00 PM
The night we kick off the year together. From 5:00–6:00 we welcome our incoming freshman class with a new-student orientation while new coaches gather for a social happy hour to meet the Level Up family. From 6:00–8:00 it all comes together - mixers, introductions, and putt-putt with teams of current and new coaches and scholars. Confirm with your scholar now, make sure it's on both your calendars, and plan to arrive together if you can. Your presence is what welcomes the next class in.
 
03
Field Notes
Scenes from our first-ever virtual Coach Orientation, July 14-15 - new coaches meeting the Level Up family.
The Level Up family just got bigger.

This is the issue where we get to say it out loud: welcome to the newest members of the Level Up family.

  • —11 new scholars join us this fall - our biggest incoming class ever. Meet them below, and in person at Match Day.
  • —Our new coach cohort completed our first-ever virtual Coach Orientation on July 14 and 15 and they are ready to go. Get to know them before Match Day in the 2026 coach directory.
  • —If you've been with us a while, you already know the assignment: a warm welcome from a current coach goes further than anything we could say. Find a new face at Match Day and make the first move.
Meet the Class
Eleven scholars. Eleven first days ahead. One growing family.
Noah Besera
Noah Besera
Finance
La Salle High School
 Florida Belay
Florida Belay
Mechanical Engineering
Gilbert A. Dater High School
Logan Shell
Logan Shell
Political Science
Highlands High School
 Molly Fisher
Molly Fisher
Middle Childhood Education
William Mason High School
Sumikchha Gurung
Sumikchha Gurung
Nursing
Fairfield High School
 Naomi Tadesse
Naomi Tadesse
Finance
Oak Hills High School
Natalie Le
Natalie Le
Business Analytics
Cincinnati Christian Schools
 Jayden Miller
Jayden Miller
Biochemistry
Walnut Hills High School
Amanda Phan
Amanda Phan
Mechanical Engineering
Ursuline Academy of Cincinnati
 Khader Ghanem
Khader Ghanem
Finance
Anderson High School
 
JN
Justin Nunez-Javiel
Marketing
La Salle High School
  
04
Toolkit
New Resource
Introducing Waypoints - A Coach's Field Guide

It started with a simple question at Coach Orientation: "When is their first day?" That question stuck with us. Coaches shouldn't have to guess where their scholar is in the school year - what's coming next, what it means, and what to do about it.

So we built Waypoints, a new companion to this newsletter that lives on the Compass site. Open it and you'll see the full academic year on one timeline with a marker for today, a "coming up" view of what's ahead, and discussion prompts and coach moves matched to your scholar's class year - freshman through senior, month by month.

It's built for your phone. Open the link before a check-in, read what's coming, and walk in prepared. Thirty seconds to thoughtful. (Exact dates for Level Up events always live in the Level Up app - Waypoints keeps you oriented on the season.)

Explore Waypoints →
Heads Up
Your First Pulse Check-In Lands This Month

As covered in our recent email, monthly Pulse check-ins are now live in the Level Up app. On the first of each month, you'll get a quick two-question check-in about how things are going with your match. It takes under a minute, and it helps us spot where a scholar or coach needs support before small things become big things. Keep an eye out for the notification.

 
05
Worth Reading
How to Make a Great First Impression
Sahil Bloom is back (you loved him last month) with a practical playbook for meeting someone new: skip the credentials, ask questions that invite stories, be memorably yourself, and follow up within days. Read it before Match Day - it maps almost perfectly onto a first conversation with your scholar.
The Essentials
The four links every coach needs, every month.

Until next month, coaches.
Level Up Cincinnati
Coaching Compass · Vol. 04
A monthly dispatch for coaches of Level Up Cincinnati — a nonprofit connecting first-generation college students with mentorship, scholarships, and a launch network.

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