06-02-2025
Achieving the Dream announces 8 community college students as 2025 DREAM Scholars
Feb. 6—SILVER SPRING, Md. — Achieving the Dream, a national organization committed to advancing community colleges as accessible hubs of learning, credentialing, and economic mobility, has announced that eight students who attend ATD Network community colleges, including Odessa College, have been selected as 2025 DREAM Scholars.
Included among them are one Tribal College and University student; one student from a college within the South African Siyaphumelela Network; and one student from the Gateway to College program.
The Scholars, chosen through a competitive application process, will receive tailored leadership development and networking opportunities. At DREAM 2025, this year's annual ATD convening to be held in Philadelphia later this month, the DREAM Scholars will share their inspirational stories, offer recommendations on how to best support today's community college students, and highlight their personal and professional aspirations, a news release said.
The 2025 DREAM Student Scholars are:
— Sonny Alaniz — Odessa College (Texas)
— Destinee Britto — Tallahassee State College (Florida)
— Heidi Counelis — Gateway to College Program at Mott Community College (Michigan)
— Bradley Gawie — Central University of Technology (Bloemfontein, South Africa)
— Diego Perez Lopez — San Jacinto College (Texas)
— Warren Miller — College of Menominee Nation (Wisconsin)
— Isaac Njoroge — Community College of Baltimore County (Maryland)
— Rashiadah Weaver — Cuyahoga Community College (Ohio)
During DREAM, the scholars will meet with community college leaders and attend sessions focused on improving student success. Their experience includes individual presentations through which they will share what they have learned during the week, while providing additional insight about how their ATD Network institution works to improve student success and completion and to drive social and economic mobility. Additionally, each 2025 DREAM Scholar will receive a scholarship to support their educational or personal journey.
"ATD congratulates the 2025 DREAM Scholars, all of whom are dynamic students who have overcome tremendous obstacles to become leaders at their colleges and in their communities," Francesca I. Carpenter, director of equitable programming and inclusive learning at Achieving the Dream, said in the release. "Each year, the cohort of DREAM Scholars brings a fresh perspective on the student experience. This year's DREAM Scholars are pursuing degrees ranging from computer science to pre-law, while also using their voices to advocate for members of their community with similar backgrounds. Their past challenges are the driving force for their future success. Their experiences have shaped them into the environmental, community, and social justice activists they are today."
"At Achieving the Dream, we believe that student voices are essential in telling the story of community colleges," Karen A. Stout, Achieving the Dream's president and CEO, said in the release. "The voices of these eight remarkable scholars highlight the limitless ways that community colleges transform the lives of not only their students but their students' families and communities. Having persevered through a myriad of challenges, our DREAM Scholars have flourished at their respective postsecondary institutions. Their leadership and drive to lift others up stand as a testament to the power of a community college education."
The DREAM Student Scholars program is an experiential learning opportunity for community college students designed to enhance leadership, critical thinking, and networking skills. In addition to the scholars' learning experience, the program integrates dynamic student voices into Achieving the Dream's annual DREAM conference. The program is funded by private gifts from ATD Network members, ATD employees, coaches, board members, and partners and friends of ATD.
