Leading together is core to our model. The people driving change are often networks of effective leaders working together to get things done, however those networks don’t always represent the full breadth of a community. For our communities to flourish, we need diverse networks of homegrown leaders who love their home and are committed to building vibrant communities where everyone thrives.
It is precisely this kind of diverse, committed leadership network that our programs produce—a new fabric of leadership for our communities.
National data show that less than a third of all students from low-income families who start college ever graduate. The data are equally discouraging for students whose parents didn’t attend college and those from most underrepresented ethnic groups. Statistics for Act Six scholars tell a much different story. With over two decades of success, the Act Six initiative best illustrates the powerful results of Degrees of Change program models.
Since 2002, Act Six has selected and trained 1,335 scholars from seven cities in 199 cadres for 17 partner colleges.
As a data-driven organization, we initiate rigorous evaluation. The results tell a compelling story: our scholars consistently defy the odds by persisting, graduating and returning to their communities to lead at rates that exceed their peers.
Building on this success, we are extending our model into new areas, adapting our innovative programming, and scaling our tools so that the transformative powers of higher education and leadership are accessible to more communities.
Vi Nguyen was born in a Malaysian refugee camp after her parents fled war-ravaged Vietnam. Raised in Australia until she was 15, Vi later immigrated to Tacoma, Washington, where she watched her mother and stepfather toil away in nail salons earning enough to put a…
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Megan Quiñones is a Palmer Scholar studying political science and sociology at Saint Martin’s University. Growing up a bi-racial woman impacted by economic poverty in Tacoma has inspired her academic studies, interest in non-profit work, and holistic focus on anti-oppression work. During her time with…
Read StoryWe see the longest-term impact of our programs in our alumni’s work after graduation. They are leading with excellence and inclusion, working to build more equitable systems, serving the most vulnerable, fostering a more diverse and inclusive workforce, and taking on complex and stubborn challenges. Discover what our alumni are accomplishing.
When Yusra Hamidani applied to Act Six, her goal was to empower Muslim students, especially young females, to pursue higher education. Now a successful emerging technology analyst at Boeing and Degrees of Change board director, Yusra lives out her passion by providing mentorship and financial…
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