By Melaina Lenzi, Communications Intern
What a year at Degrees of Change (DoC)! We welcomed familiar faces, came together as a community, and as always, supported young people in becoming homegrown leaders.
Here’s what we’re celebrating from 2025:
New Team Members
This year brought fresh energy to our team. We were thrilled to welcome Kelly Bay-Meyer, Ph.D., as our next CEO. A longtime DoC team member and a passionate leader committed to her community and educational equity, she inspires us to work alongside her every day.
We celebrated the return of Carrie Streepy as our Director of Operations. Carrie also has a longstanding history with Degrees of Change, working with the first cohort of Act Six scholars in 2002. As someone who already understands the heartbeat of this organization, she is ready to help write its next chapter.
We also welcomed three distinguished and outstanding members to our Board of Directors: Veratta Pegram-Floyd, Patrick Erwin, and Lewis Griffith.
Rep. Strickland (center) poses for a photo with (on her left) the first Strickland Fellowship cohort, and (on her right) UWT Chancellor Lange, Tacoma Mayor Woodards, and former Degrees of Change CEO Marquise Dixon. (Photo courtesy of UW Tacoma)
A New College-to-Career Pathway
An exciting opportunity was launched this year. Degrees of Change, in partnership with the University of Washington Tacoma and the City of Tacoma, partnered to create the Strickland Fellowship for Career Pathways.
This unique program gives local students the chance to gain hands-on engineering experience working with Tacoma Public Utilities. Currently, the program has 12 participating students and is expected to grow.
It has been inspiring to watch students apply their classroom learning to real-world engineering problems, and see their confidence grow in their professionalism.
Seed Internships 2025 Cohort (Photo by Aaliyah Lewis)
Continuing to Serve
2025 also brought another year of proudly serving our Seed Interns, Seed Teachers, and remaining Act Six scholars; a program that continue to transform students’ lives.
The Seed Internships program celebrated its sixth year. Since its launch, nearly 970 students have received interview and résumé support, and an additional 260 students have served as interns in the Puget Sound region.
Across our Act Six network, we continued to support nearly 250 scholars still on campuses. While the program has stopped accepting new applicants, we remain deeply committed to these scholars through graduation.
Meanwhile, our Seed Teachers scholars are on their way to becoming certified teachers. These 22 scholars know the impact a teacher can make in the lives of their students, and are excited to give back to their communities as educators.
A proud mother watches her student, a Seed Internships alum, onstage at Lead Here, Lead Now on May 8, 2025. (Photo by Sharon Ho Chang)
Celebrating Our Students
In May, we hosted our spring fundraiser, Lead Here, Lead Now, gathering friends, partners, alumni, and supporters for an evening of impactful storytelling and celebration.
Despite the challenges facing higher education, our community showed up in a powerful way, coming together to acknowledge and uplift the next generation of young leaders. Donor support directly impacts our students across the region and reflects our shared belief in what young people can accomplish.
Summer closed with one of our favorite events, the Seed Internships Celebration, at Foss Waterway Seaport. Seeing interns, employers, staff, and partners in one room sharing stories and celebrating each other’s wins was a powerful testament to the lasting impact Seed Internships have on students and employers.
Looking Ahead
As we turn toward 2026, we are feeling hopeful and energized by the momentum of this past year. Our new strategic plan developed by our fearless leader, Kelly, and our collaborators, promises to build, strengthen and innovate our work at Degrees of Change.
We are grateful to work alongside this community and pour into every young leader we serve. Thank you for your support and we will see you in the new year!
Featured image: Board member Veratta Pegram-Floyd (right) poses with an intern (left) at the 2025 Seed Internships Celebration (Photo by Sharon Ho Chang)
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