Degrees of Change

Move-In Day! 📦 Scholars have officially moved back onto campuses and are getting settled into college life. Program staff were able to visit PLU’s Move-In Day last week, donuts in hand, and welcome students back to school. And just like that—summer's wrapping up, and it's time to hit the books again.

Join us on Care Package Day 9/18 to assemble care packages for first-year students 👉🏾 https://bit.ly/478owpX

💌 Is gift-giving your love language? We’re looking for volunteers to assemble care packages for our incoming college freshmen! These gifts bring a little piece of home and encouragement as our students adjust to college life and new independence 🎁

Join us on Care Package Day to assemble packages and write notes of affirmation for our scholars:

🗓️Wednesday, September 18
🕰️11a-1p (Act Six) , 3:30-5:30p (Seed Teachers)
📍Degrees of Change office

We have space for 5 volunteers per session. Light bites and beverages provided.

📧 To sign up, please email [email protected]

Thank you for supporting our students! 💫

From Tacoma to Howard University School of Law ⚖️ Quenessa Long’s journey is a testament to the power of community, resilience, and dreaming big. Raised in the Hilltop neighborhood, Quenessa’s roots are firmly planted in Tacoma, but her impact reaches far beyond. She’s paving the way for future generations, showing that no dream is too big when you’re grounded in community.

Read her story below 💪🏾✨

Hilltop to Howard: Quenessa Long's Tacoma Roots - Degrees of Change Quenessa Long couldn’t be prouder to come from Tacoma. An alum of our Act Six program and recent Howard University School of Law graduate, Quenessa is now an attorney living in Washington D.C. But despite the distance, Quenessa still calls herself a Pierce County native and sees her community as f...

BIG shout out to our 2024 guest speakers 👏🏾 👏🏾 👏🏾 Students from all our programs benefited so much from your mentorship during their summer trainings. Thank you for sharing your time and wisdom with our young people. We simply could not achieve our mission without the support of our community volunteers 💞

Want to join our volunteer list? 📩 [email protected]

Pictured: James Hughes, Angela Jones, Aaliyah Lewis, Craig Mayers, Taylor Tibbs, Brigitte O'Michaels, Hilary Loeb, Michelle Cruver, Casey Linden

Final Act Six presentations 🗣️ Our first-year scholars have finished their pre-college training. As a final project, the young leaders presented on community issues they would like to solve and support. We're already so impressed with their commitment to social change as they embark on their college journeys.

Want to support our scholars as they had back to campus? DM us to join our volunteer list! (We have a fun opportunity coming up)



📷 Sharon Ho Chang

Announcing 88 NEW Act Six college graduates! 🎓 Though we’re no longer recruiting for the Act Six Program, we’re proud to continue supporting the hundreds of Act Six Scholars on campus, and those starting their college journeys this fall. Congrats to the Class of '24, and here’s to the bright futures of all our scholars still pursuing their degrees!

Click below to view a full list of Act Six grads, their colleges, degrees, and high schools.

Act Six Celebrates 88 New College Graduates - Degrees of Change This past school year, 88 Act Six scholars from underrepresented communities in Washington, Oregon, Illinois, Indiana, and Minnesota graduated from college. These scholars earned degrees from 17 colleges in the Pacific Northwest and Midwest, graduating together with records of distinguished leadersh...

Celebrating our 2024 internships!🥂🎊 We honored 69 incredible interns at Cheney Stadium last Friday, along with their amazing supervisors and our local employer partners. In the sixth year of our Seed Internships program, we couldn’t be prouder of the experiences these interns had this summer. Wishing them all the best as they head to college this fall. Can't wait to welcome the next cohort of Seed interns soon...

Learn more about our internship program at https://www.degreesofchange.org/programs/seed-internships/



Photos by Sharon Ho Chang

🎓 Our final Act Six Yakima Valley scholars are ready to shine 🌟 This fall, they’ll be heading to Pacific Lutheran University, Northwest University, and Heritage University with full-tuition, full-need scholarships. Congrats to these outstanding emerging young leaders 🥳

Tacoma scavenger hunt! 🧭 Last week, Seed interns competed in groups while exploring downtown Tacoma. What they needed to complete as quickly as possible:

▪ Take a photo jumping in front of the Museum of Glass
▪ Take a photo leaning on the University of Washington Tacoma sign
▪ Take a photo on the Tollefson Plaza steps across from the Tacoma Art Museum
▪ Visit ETC Tacoma and ask, "What does it mean to give back to your home community?"

The interns had so much fun, and it was a great way to get them outside learning about the city of destiny. We ❤️ Tacoma. Read about our Seed Internships program at https://www.degreesofchange.org/programs/seed-internships/

For students, by students 💞 At DoC, we’re all about young people supporting each other. Click through our gallery to see Act Six scholars welcoming new scholars at their initial retreat, and Seed intern Aaliyah training new Seed Teachers scholars on financial wellness before they start college this fall 🤲🏽💗

Welcome to our new board members Angela Pierce-Ngo and Tono Sablan 👏👏

Angela Pierce-Ngo is a proud Act Six alum and Tacoma resident. She advocates for educational justice and has a social work background supporting young adults accessing postsecondary opportunities. Angela is currently an interim co-executive director at Northwest Education Access.

Tono Sablan is an Act Six alum and proud lifelong resident of Parkland, Washington. He serves as executive director for the LeMay Family Foundation, and as executive director for Blue Zones Project Parkland-Spanaway Blue Zones Project. He is also an elected school board director for the Franklin Pierce School District where he has led as board president since 2022.

We're so honored to welcome these two exceptional alumni to our board of directors and look forward to their experienced leadership 💕

Is there anything better than mom’s cooking? 🧑‍🍳 We’re so grateful to TWO moms who joined our meal train this summer and brought food for our students. Thank you, Ayrion H, for cooking a whole dinner for Act Six scholars (we’ve never seen them eat so fast 😂). And thank you, Tracey C, for baking cookies and bringing MSM sandwiches for Seed Teachers scholars. We 🫶🏽 our community moms

There are still dates left! Sign up for our student meal train https://www.mealtrain.com/trains/no4ldd/

Josiah, Act Six scholar, had an amazing time at our summer expedition! 🏞️🧗🏽‍♂️ Check out DoC's latest blog post where he shares about conquering fears, bonding with fellow students, and more. We love lifting up student stories in their own words. Click & read and show Josiah some love 🥰

My Amazing Expedition Experience - Degrees of Change by Josiah Tiblow Thirty-three strangers? In the woods? For three days? A month before the Degrees of Change Summer Expedition, many things ran through my mind. From the nerves of being away from home without communication to the outside, to the uncertainty of not knowing what to expect. Yet, after E...

🎉 Introducing the 2nd Seed Teachers cohort 🎉 We're thrilled to announce the 11 amazing students who received this year's Seed Teachers scholarships! These dedicated young people will receive generous financial aid and wraparound support as they work towards becoming educators in their home community. Click below to learn more about them and our Seed Teachers program.

Meet the Second Seed Teachers Cohort - Degrees of Change We are thrilled to announce the second cohort of Seed Teachers scholars. Our Seed Teachers program works for a more equitable public education system with teachers who reflect the students they serve. Our second cohort was recognized at the Degrees of Change office in downtown Tacoma in June: Jasmin...

Huge thanks to Carrie Streepy for providing meals to our Act Six scholars 👏 This is our first summer organizing a student meal train, and we're deeply touched by the community's support for our young leaders. Food is love, and we appreciate you all

Sign up for our meal train https://www.mealtrain.com/trains/no4ldd

Photos by Sharon Ho Chang

JOB ALERT 📣 We're seeking a Senior Director of Development to lead our philanthropic efforts!

The Senior Director of Development will build a culture of philanthropy across Degrees of Change and our programs; establish annual and long-term development goals and strategies; executive fundraising events, campaigns, individual donor and major gift work for our organization.

This is a full-time position with comprehensive benefits including a 32-hour work week, 4 weeks paid vacation, full medical and dental, and more.

Starting salary: $105,000-$120,000
Location: Hybrid, office in Tacoma
Priority deadline: Friday, August 9

Learn more and apply https://bit.ly/4cjkoph

Our final Act Six PLU cohort 🎓 Cadre 17, Class of 2028

Photo by Ron Storer

Welcome to our new business development director Amojé Moody!👏🏾💫

Amojé is a Tacoma native with an insatiable desire to see the City of Destiny and all its people thrive. He earned his bachelor’s degree in communications at Washington State University and is a first-generation college graduate. He’s spent the last nine years supporting young adults in finding their professional and personal purpose through workforce development, mentorship, and education programming among many other things. He’s thrilled to give back to Tacoma, especially through business development that will support homegrown leaders for the foreseeable future.

Fueling minds one bite at a time! 🌟 A heartfelt thank you to Joanna Royce-Davis for providing delicious subs to our Seed Teachers scholars. Joanna is Vice President for Student Life at Pacific Lutheran University. It's not too late to join our Meal Train for DoC Students. Join us in supporting our young leaders this summer. Sign up here https://bit.ly/3W5Fgdt

It’s a tough time for higher ed. Students are starting to wonder if a degree’s worth it anymore. We’re here to say—it definitely is, especially for historically underserved students 💪🏾📚 Read our latest post

Why A College Degree Still Matters - Degrees of Change In an era of doom-and-gloom headlines about higher education, we simply cannot overlook the enduring value of a college degree. Earning a degree remains a game-changer, especially for the young leaders Degrees of Change serves, many of whom are Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC), first-ge...

Summer Expedition vibes 🏞️🥰 Our scholars and interns unplugged last week for an outdoor adventure—no tech, no WiFi, no phones. It was painful at first, but they crushed it! From climbing and canoeing to ziplining and swimming, we love seeing our students make lasting memories together 🛶💦

Subscribe to our eNews to get more student stories https://tinyurl.com/58j5brej

photos by Sharon Ho Chang

We are thrilled to announce our Seed Internships 2024 cohort! 🥳 After reviewing 900 applicants earlier this year, we selected 70 exceptional college students for summer internships at top Puget Sound employers. Click below to see a list of interns and their employers.

70 Students Selected for Seed Internships 2024 Cohort - Degrees of Change Our Seed Internships program continues to thrive. After receiving 900 applicants earlier this year, we have selected 70 Seed interns for this year’s summer cohort. These exceptional students, representing multiple U.S. colleges, have been matched with 13 top, local employers in the Puget Sound reg...

2024 Board Retreat with Arturo Lucatero, Mycal Ford, CAMS, Lindy Tep, CPA, Yusra Hamidani, Angela Pierce-Ngo, Tono Sablan and Jacob Anderson—industry leaders in education, business, tech, law, and nonprofits. Degrees of Change is so fortunate to be guided by such a committed, talented board of directors and driven leaders. Together, we are united in our goal to champion educational equity and transform lives!



photos by Sharon Ho Chang

Our last Act Six Saint Martin's University cohort 🎓 Cadre 16, Class of 2028

photo by Ron Storer

Help provide meals for our students this summer! 🥗 We've launched our first meal train to support scholars during pre-college training and interns during professional development. Food is so important for learning. Come meet and break bread with our amazing young leaders 💞

Go to https://www.mealtrain.com/trains/no4ldd to learn more and sign up. Questions? DM us!

Our last Act Six Northwest University cohort 🎓 Cadre 16, Class of 2028

photo by Ron Storer

Meet our panelists! 🤩 DoC’s virtual fundraiser is TOMORROW, May 30, 4-5p PDT. Scroll to learn more about our amazing panelists. Then, RSVP here https://www.eventbrite.com/e/degrees-of-change-spring-fundraiser-tickets-888408924007?aff=oddtdtcreator All are welcome!

60 NEW Act Six Scholars!! Big congrats to all the students who received the last Act Six scholarships. These emerging young leaders are not only amazing but are also bookending an incredible Act Six legacy. We are so excited for your college journeys 🥰

Click below to see a full list of Act Six recipients and their Northwest/Midwest schools 👇🏾👇🏿👇🏽

60 Student Leaders Earn the Final Act Six Scholarships - Degrees of Change We are thrilled to announce that 60 emerging young leaders from Tacoma-Seattle, Portland-Salem, Yakima Valley, and Minneapolis-St. Paul have earned the final Act Six scholarships to Augsburg University, Bethel University, Concordia College, George Fox University, Heritage University, Northwest Unive...

Our final Act Six Celebration 🎉 Last week, we came together to celebrate the final incoming class of Act Six Tacoma-Seattle recipients. We also honored an amazing legacy.

Across the last two decades, our flagship program has served over 1,335 scholars in 199 cadres. Though we’re in a season change as an org, we couldn’t be prouder of our newest scholars 🥹☺️

We know these young people have great potential to be leaders on their campuses and in their home communities. We can’t wait to see what they’ll accomplish over the next years.

Congratulations scholars! You’re amazing! 🤩🥳



📷 Sharon Ho Chang

📣 We have an important Act Six update. Read the full press release here https://www.degreesofchange.org/after-22-years-act-six-announces-final-class/