News & Updates
Each year, Achieving the Dream selects eight remarkable students to become DREAM Scholars — a role that offers community college students a platform to lead, learn, and lift their voices at ATD’s annual convening. Through the DREAM Scholars program, students explore their leadership identities, connect with higher education professionals from across the country, and reflect deeply on how their experiences can inform more inclusive, student-centered systems.
While their journeys began at DREAM 2025, the impact continues to unfold long after the conference has ended. This year, we caught up with five of the 2025 Scholars — Sonny Alaniz, Destinee Britto, Bradley Gawie, Isaac Njoroge, and Rashiadah Weaver — to hear how their experiences at DREAM continue to shape their goals, communities, and aspirations for higher education.
Sonny Alaniz
Odessa College (Texas)
For Sonny Alaniz, the DREAM Scholar experience unlocked a new understanding of what leadership can look like — and who belongs in those roles. “Before, I thought my role in college was just to pass my classes and move on,” he shared. “But DREAM showed me that I have a voice and that my experience matters in shaping what college can look like for students like me.” That realization gave him the confidence to embrace his ambitions in both engineering and education — and to help open doors for others, too.
Some of the most memorable lessons from DREAM came not from the stage but from shared moments with fellow scholars. Sonny recalls one evening exploring Philadelphia’s food scene: “It wasn’t just about the food. It was about sitting together, joking around, and having real conversations with people from different places who were all working hard to create change.” For him, that night was a reminder that growth and connection often happen in informal, authentic moments.
Since DREAM, Sonny has continued to push forward with purpose. This summer, he served as the lead systems engineer for his NASA L’Space team, working on a Mars rover mission concept with eight other students. The experience gave him firsthand insight into the challenges of real-world space exploration and reinforced his passion for STEM. This fall, he’ll transfer to Texas Tech University to major in astrophysics with a minor in aerospace engineering.
His advice to future DREAM Scholars: “Make sure you’re living true to who you are. Don’t let doubt stop you from chasing your goals. You have more potential than you think, and the limits people put on you don’t define you. Break through those and keep showing up for yourself. That’s where real leadership starts.”
Destinee Britto
Tallahassee State College (Florida)
For Destinee Britto, becoming a DREAM Scholar was a transformative moment — not just in how she sees higher education but in how she sees herself. “I’ve always known I was passionate about advocacy,” she said, “but this experience showed me how my personal story, as an immigrant, a young woman of color, and a first-generation college student, could be a tool for transformation.” Destinee no longer views leadership as confined to titles or meeting rooms — for her, it’s about showing up, speaking out, and challenging systems that weren’t built with students like her in mind. DREAM strengthened her commitment to using law as a tool to expand equity and access.
One of the most powerful moments at the conference came during a planning session, when Destinee looked around the room at her fellow scholars. “We all carried different stories, but our shared commitment to education, equity, and change united us,” she said. “It was the first time I felt like I belonged in a national conversation about transforming higher education.”
This fall, Destinee will transfer to Florida State University, where she will serve as a senator in the Student Government Association, the social and events coordinator for the Black Student Union, and the coordinator of engagement for the Transfer Leadership Institute. She is pursuing a dual academic path in political science and sports management, with future plans to become a sports lawyer and offer pro bono immigration services to underserved communities.
Her advice to future DREAM Scholars: “Leadership isn’t about having a title — it’s about deciding to care enough to act. DREAM taught me that our voices matter long before we’re given a mic. So, speak up. … Show up. And don’t wait for permission to take up space — you already belong.”
Bradley Gawie
Central University of Technology, Free State (South Africa)
“Becoming a DREAM Scholar shifted how I perceive my role: not merely as an advisor but as a system designer,” Bradley shared. That mindset shift has become central to how he views higher education in South Africa, where many students face steep structural barriers to completion. “DREAM sharpened my sense of collective responsibility,” he said. “My role now is not just to advise students but to contribute actively to building learning environments where every young person feels empowered to imagine and realize a better world.”
That belief was reinforced during an unstructured evening at DREAM when the scholars gathered to share personal stories of balancing school with caregiving, managing cultural isolation, and questioning whether they truly belonged in academic spaces. “That night taught me that building student success frameworks must involve spaces where poetic truths live alongside policy — where human stories guide system design, and where cultural and emotional well-being is treated with as much care as academic achievement,” he shared.
Since DREAM, Bradley has continued to advocate for this more human-centered approach to education. In July, at the Siyaphumelela Conference in Johannesburg, he co-presented “Designing Equitable Higher Education: Students Co-Creating Institutional Change” alongside ATD staff members Francesca Carpenter and Dr. Jairo McMican as well as fellow DREAM Scholars Rashiadah Weaver and Destinee Britto.
To future DREAM Scholars, Bradley offered this advice: “Leadership begins by listening to what feels unfinished or unjust around you, then choosing to respond. You do not need a formal title. Mentoring a peer, organizing a study group, or challenging unfair policies are leadership acts in themselves. Lead with imagination create something meaningful — something that reflects the depth of your journey and stand as a beacon for those who will follow.”
Isaac Njoroge
Community College of Baltimore County (Maryland)
For Isaac Njoroge, the DREAM Scholar experience wasn’t just a platform — it was a turning point that shaped his voice, vision, and confidence as a leader. “I used to doubt whether I belonged in certain rooms,” he shared. “But the program gave me confidence — not just in my identity but in my ability to lead, to advocate, and to uplift others.”
Since stepping off the DREAM stage, Isaac has stayed in motion. He was named the 2025 President’s Distinguished Graduate at the Community College of Baltimore County, becoming the first ever student-athlete to earn the college’s highest honor. He was also recognized as an NJCAA Academic All-American for the 2024–2025 season, honoring his commitment to excellence both on the court and in the classroom. Isaac delivered the commencement address and performed his original “I Am” poem. “I realized my story could give someone else permission to share their own,” he said. “That’s what DREAM taught me: that storytelling is leadership.” Watch Isaac’s commencement speech here.
This summer, Isaac participated in the ORIGINS Advancement Internship Program at Johns Hopkins University, where he created a comprehensive database of former student workers and interns dating back to 1964. He conducted interviews to capture their stories and led outreach efforts to reconnect with them. He also proposed a reunion event to strengthen alumni engagement and community-building. “Technology should be a bridge, not a barrier. I want to build systems that are culturally aware and community-driven—tools that close gaps in access to opportunity, not widen them.”
In the fall, Isaac will transfer to the University of Maryland, College Park, to pursue a degree in information science with a minor in cybersecurity. “Every class I take, every space I step into — I know I represent more than myself,” he declared. “That’s a responsibility I carry with pride.
His advice to future DREAM Scholars: “You don’t need a title to lead — just the courage to care, speak up, and act. If you’re driven by purpose, you’re already a leader. Don’t wait to be invited — your voice belongs in the room.”
Rashiadah Weaver
Cuyahoga Community College (Ohio)
Rashiadah describes her time as a DREAM Scholar as a turning point: “Being a DREAM Scholar affirmed the power of my voice as both a student and a change agent. It shifted my perspective from navigating systems to challenging them. I see leadership not as a title; it is a responsibility.”
Since DREAM, Rashiadah’s leadership has expanded beyond national student engagement into the global arena. “This year, I dared to dream beyond national student engagement and have completely invoked a mentality for global student support, leadership, and citizenship,” she said. One key step in that direction: her in person participation in the Siyaphumelela 2025 Conference in Johannesberg, South Africa.
Back home, she continues to lead transformative efforts. Rashiadah graduated summa cum laude from Tri-C while simultaneously attending Cleveland State University Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel Honors college, achieving the dean’s list. Rashiadah is pursuing an accelerated pathway toward a bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership and a master’s degree in public administration.
Her commitment to authentic leadership also extends into her community, where she is preparing to run for elected office, motivated by a desire to create transformative policies that seek to help eliminate bias and systemic barriers for underrepresented populations.
Through her work, Rashiadah models resilience and purpose, showing that meaningful impact is within reach for anyone ready to step forward and make a difference. It’s a sentiment reflected in her advice for future DREAM Scholars: “Leadership isn’t about perfection — it’s about purpose. You don’t need a title to be impactful. Your lived experiences, your questions, and your desire to do the work to see change all make you a leader. “Step into your power boldly, and remember: your story matters.”
Through their courage, creativity, and community-minded leadership, our DREAM Scholars remind us that higher education must continue to evolve — not just for students but with them. At DREAM, Sonny, Destinee, Bradley, Isaac, and Rashiadah found not only a platform to be heard but also a community that affirmed their power and possibility.
As Rashiadah so powerfully put it, “DREAM is not just a conference — it’s a movement, and you belong in it. Live the Dream!”
Revisit the inspirational poems of the DREAM Scholars at DREAM 2025.
Learn more about ATD’s DREAM Scholars program.
Stories & Case Studies
Thinking & Advocacy