Coach a Scholar, Support Your Community 

One Million Degrees Coaches act as sounding boards, thought partners, and cheerleaders for OMD scholars.  

 

By volunteering just a few hours a month, you can make a lasting difference in a scholar’s life and career. OMD provides training and tools for coaches to effectively support our hardworking scholars.  

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COACH ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

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HOW TO BECOME A COACH

One Million Degrees Scholars are individuals pursuing their associate degrees. They have persisted through challenging situations and are striving to reach their full potential and become positive forces in their families and communities. We provide the training and tools for you to engage with our hardworking scholars. You empower our scholars to set goals, achieve critical milestones, and become tomorrow’s leaders.
FILL OUT COACH INTEREST FORM

01

Meet the Requirements 

Have an associate degree or higher and a passion for educational equity 

02

Apply

Complete and submit your coaching application.   

03

Train  

Once your application is approved, you’ll receive an email from OMD that contains a link to your training video and a training verification form.   

04

Verify

Once you’ve watched your training video, complete and submit the training verification form.   

COACH ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

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HOW TO BECOME A COACH

One Million Degrees Scholars are individuals pursuing their associate degrees. They have persisted through challenging situations and are striving to reach their full potential and become positive forces in their families and communities. We provide the training and tools for you to engage with our hardworking scholars. You empower our scholars to set goals, achieve critical milestones, and become tomorrow’s leaders.
FILL OUT COACH INTEREST FORM
01

Meet the Requirements 

Have an associate degree or higher and a passion for educational equity 

02

Apply

Complete and submit your coaching application.   The coaching application is currently closed but will open shortly! 

03

Train  

Once your application is approved, you’ll receive an email from OMD that contains a link to your training video and a training verification form.   

04

Verify

Once you’ve watched your training video, complete and submit the training verification form.   

FILL OUT COACH INTEREST FORM

FINAL

STEPS

After your training is verified, you’ll receive an email with details about your final steps:   

ONE MORE STEP

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Sign and return your coaching contract  

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Complete your background check (sent via a third-party vendor)  

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Fill out a brief onboarding form  

You’re ready to start coaching! Now you’ll attend your first Scholar Development Session and participate in a Coach Prep Session.   

TWO WAYS TO COACH

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DROP IN

Coaches working with first-year Scholars will table-facilitate small groups of scholars at monthly Development Sessions held on Saturdays.

Coaches are not expected to attend sessions every month, but “drop in” as they are available.

COACH A SCHOLAR  

COACHING OPPORTUNITIES

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Take the First Step 

All coaches, including both Drop-in and Matched coaches, will have the opportunity to attend professional development events such as Speed Networking and Coach Panels, and also offer coach consultations to scholars on topics like resume writing, interview preparation, and career planning.
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APPLICATION

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Apply today!

Take the first step. Empower scholars to achieve critical milestones and become tomorrow’s leaders. 

Still have a question?  

Contact us at coach@onemilliondegrees.org 

APPLY NOW

LET’S ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS

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Ready to kickstart your educational journey?

If you’re interested in becoming an OMD scholar, we want to make the process as easy as possible. Check out our frequently asked questions below
How are students selected to become scholars?

The process to become an OMD scholar depends on whether you’ve met our eligibility requirements and on which City College of Chicago (CCC) campus you attend.

If you attend Olive-Harvey or Malcolm X Colleges and meet OMD eligibility requirements, you are considered opted in to OMD scholar supports and should have received communications about accessing our program. If you have not received that information, Please CALL TO ACTION TBD.

If you attend Harold Washington, Kennedy King, Richard J. Daley, Truman, or Wilbur Wright Colleges and meet OMD eligibility requirements, you’ll need to fill out an application. Accepted students must then move through our provisional acceptance process while the limited open spots at the campus they will be attending are available. Spots in our program are open on a first to register full time, complete our onboarding steps, ensure they have resolved any financial aid/CHA/or STAR requirements.

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Still have a question?

If you’d like to talk to someone on staff, please contact us.
CONTACT US
David Scherer

David Scherer

One Million Degrees Co-founder 

David is principal of Origin, co-chairs the Investment Committee, and oversees investment analysis, acquisition and asset management. He has more than 20 years of experience in real estate investing, finance, and asset management. In 2006, he co-founded One Million Degrees, which has raised $20 million to help low-income community college students graduate and successfully enter the workforce. David has served as the organization’s Board Chair for the past 12 years, as the organization has grown from 30 to 1,000 students served per year. He also serves as the President of the Harvard Club of Chicago and is on the Advisory Board of Invest for Kids.  

Rose Lizarraga

Rose Lizarraga

One Million Degrees Co-founder 

An award-winning documentary filmmaker and freelance writer, Rose’s career also includes 10 years spent developing new product and brand strategies as well as marketing and advertising campaigns at Leo Burnett, Foote, Cone & Belding, M&M/Mars and other small businesses.  More recently, she worked as a writer/editor for Modern Luxury Inc., publishers of magazines such as CS and Angeleno.  Rose graduated from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor with dual degrees in English and Political Science.  She is a founding member of the Daniel M. Kerrane, Jr. Foundation, former Board Vice President of the Fairy Godmother Foundation, and currently serves on the Chicago committee for Human Rights Watch.

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Michael B. Golden

One Million Degrees Co-Founder 

A former national award-winning broadcast journalist, Michael Golden has also served as a political campaign manager and communications strategist for U.S. Presidential, Senate and Congressional races. Michael is a fellow at the British-American Project and the Open Society Institute. In 1999, Michael’s investigative and public affairs reporting for NBC earned him honors from the Society of Professional Journalists, the AP, and the Edward R. Murrow Awards. In 2011, Michael co-founded Newsbound, Inc., a media and software company based in San Francisco, CA. He is also a co-founder of the Complete the Degree back-to-college initiative in Chicago, Illinois. Michael serves on the board of the ADL and on the governing board of the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law, as well as the Illinois Commission to Eliminate Poverty. He received his B.A. from Indiana University, and his M.S. in Public Services Management from DePaul University.

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