Introducing the 2024-25 Making Waves Impact Report
We are reimagining what it means to prepare students across Contra Costa County for the future, ensuring they have both the education and the experience to achieve economic mobility and fulfilling lives. Learn more in our 2024-25 Making Waves Impact Report!
Why We’re Creating Education and Career Pathways for Students in Grades 11–14
Making Waves CEO Patrick O’Donnell shares a leadership update on a strategic visioning process with an emerging model focusing on the critical transition years between high school, college, and career.
Beyond the Degree: Reimagining Economic Mobility at Making Waves
Making Waves has excelled at supporting students from 5th grade through college graduation, but in today’s landscape a degree alone no longer guarantees economic mobility. CEO Patrick O’Donnell shares why he’s excited to reimagine what’s possible in expanding educational opportunity AND expanding career opportunity for our students.
Top Stories That Made Waves in 2024
Our programs provide students of color from low-income backgrounds with the educational opportunities, career skills and experiences, and financial freedom they need to meet their goals and thrive. Here are some of the highlights of what that looked like in 2024 and a preview of what’s to come in 2025.
Making Waves Academy’s Charter Renewal Unanimously Approved
We are excited to share some incredible news – this fall, the Contra Costa County Board of Education unanimously voted to approve Making Waves Academy’s five-year charter renewal. The vote was met with both applause and tears of joy from the over 150 supporters who filled the room (with more joining online), proudly wearing Making Waves shirts and sharing the essential role Making Waves plays in the lives of students and families in the Richmond community.
Sharing our latest impact report
This year marks a significant milestone for Making Waves – 35 years of empowering students of color from low-income backgrounds to break through barriers to educational success and economic mobility.
Making Waves and Chime Partner on Scholarships and Coaching for Community College Students
Making Waves Education Foundation is partnering with the Chime Scholars Foundation to support local community college students from low-income backgrounds.
How to build your team and embed DEIB in how you and your team operate
If you’re an aspiring or new CEO, having an incredible team is one of the most important levers for driving organizational impact and outcomes. This means a top priority will be building your team and embedding diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in how you and your team operate. CEO Patrick O’Donnell shares learnings from his first five years as CEO.
How to define an approach to strong, inclusive decision-making
Decision-making is an Achilles heel and pain point for so many organizations. CEO Patrick O’Donnell shares three approaches to defining a strong and inclusive approach to decision-making as a part of a series on lessons learned during his first five years as a nonprofit CEO.
How to build resilience in uncertainty
The nonprofit CEO job is challenging and a big part of the leadership role is leading through uncertainty. CEO Patrick O’Donnell shares three approaches to building resilience in the face of challenges as a part of a series on lessons learned during his first five years as a nonprofit CEO.
How to think big and find sustainability
CEO Patrick O’Donnell shares three approaches to thinking big and having an impactful vision while also finding work and life balance as a part of a series on lessons learned during his first five years as a nonprofit CEO.
The demand for college graduates is growing. Let’s meet the demand – without all the student debt.
Making Waves CEO shares why we need to build the pipeline of first-gen college grads and how this can be done without all the student loan debt.