DREAM, Achieving the Dream’s signature event, is where student-centered peers explore college transformation as a catalyst for equity and economic vitality. During this 19th annual convening in Chicago, thousands of practitioners from over 300 colleges will exchange evidence-based strategies that drive access, momentum, mobility, and community impact.
When colleges meet students’ needs and engage their passions, students bring new learning and mobility to their families and neighborhoods. Join us as we learn to better steward student success, so our students become the greatest drivers of community transformation.
Learn MoreThemes
Sessions at DREAM 2023 will center around four key themes that represent opportunities to effect meaningful change on our campuses and in our communities:
Access
to eliminate barriers and connect more community members to high-value educational opportunities at community colleges
Mobility
to provide economic security for students and their families, particularly BIPOC, poverty-impacted, and other marginalized communities
Momentum
to address inequities that prevent timely progress through college and connection to workforce and transfer opportunities
Community Impact
to catalyze more equitable and economically vibrant communities and drive shared prosperity
Speakers
Dr. Raj Chetty most recent work has focused on the effects of social connectedness on economic mobility. He has been widely cited in the media including the New York Times, Forbes, the Washington Post and several higher education media outlets. A MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship awardee, Dr. Chetty has received numerous awards for his research, including the John Bates Clark medal, given to the economist under 40 whose work is judged to have made the most significant contribution to the field.
Noel Quiñones is an Emmy award winning Puerto Rican writer, actor, educator, and community organizer from the Bronx. He is the founder of Project X, a Bronx-based arts organization, a 40 Under 40 Rising Latino Stars Recipient, and a member of the 2019 Intercultural Leadership Institute cohort.
Frederick Shegog, Founder/CEO of The Message LLC, inspires, educates, and creates healthy lifestyles for all as a motivational speaker. Dumpster diving, panhandling, and drinking were once everyday activities for Shegog. Despite a decade of alcohol abuse and time spent homeless, Shegog transformed himself into a graduate with high honors.
DREAMing Together
We’ve missed you! Achieving the Dream is excited to welcome ATD Network colleges back to an in-person convening for the first time since 2020.
We want to hear from you. Tell us what you’ve missed about meeting in person — is it the energy, the camaraderie, the snacks? And share what most excites you about joining your peers in Chicago this February.
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