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Our workshops uniquely combine education with participants’ real life experiences as a powerful catalyst to own their value, confront obstacles with confidence, develop their authentic brand stories, and weigh their finances and career choices. 

With an overarching goal of knocking down barriers to career entry for women in marginalized groups, our program curriculum is rooted in feminist and social justice pedagogies.

In-person or online workshops are facilitated by sector experts in groups of similarly situated peers and conducted in a welcoming environment for maximum learning and sharing. We lead by example.

              t Change Agents, we’re a social impact company determined to ensure underrepresented college women* are prepared to enter the job market before they graduate. Our team provides job search skills, career strategies, and cultural agility training specifically designed to address the job market challenges they will face due to their socioeconomic status and diverse backgrounds. We’re in awe of these strong, determined individuals and it’s our mission to help close the gap between college graduation and first career job. Underrepresented women’s employment has been most affected by this global pandemic, but here at Change Agents, we are here to help all underrepresented students and graduates in the margins during this unprecedented time.

Our Career Catalyst Program prepares underrepresented college women with the foundational knowledge to seek professional job opportunities while still in school. We’ve designed a career readiness workshop series specifically designed to overcome their unique challenges and put them on the right path as they seek internships and post-graduation employment commensurate with their education. While low income women of color have been our core focus, the Career Catalyst Program curriculum supports people from all marginalized groups. Inclusiveness and belonging are at the heart of what we do.

of all women college graduates enter the workforce in jobs for which they are overqualified.

First job means everything. Higher likelihood to stay there

as more underrepresented women are graduating each year

Lack of referrals  networks

47%

years

thewill continueto worsen

problem

&

Every day we’re amazed and inspired by the resilience and adaptability of underrepresented women who are laser-focused on graduating with a college degree. We also see their career confusion, feel their anxiety and hear them question their capabilities because they lack the guidance and resources to jumpstart their careers.     To provide this critical support, our team leveraged our first-hand knowledge on both the nonprofit and corporate and set out to create career readiness education based on the obstacles and challenges marginalized women face. As change agents, we channel our passion for gender equality and upward mobility for the underrepresented communities through the work we love doing.       Founded by a woman of color and run by a fun-loving and determined group of diverse women. 

© 2021 CHANGE AGENTS

A

We've carefully crafted this one-of-kind educational solution for underrepresented women as a catalyst for success.

Diverse Education For Diverse Women

Source: The Permanent Detour: Underemployment’s Long-Term Effects on the Careers of College Grads, Strada Institute, May 2018

diverse talent collective Partners Benefits

Meet the Team

As a part of an on-campus organization whose members are primarily first generation Latinas, we struggle in finding the resources and proper speakers that can understand the position many of us find ourselves in. Oftentimes, it is forgotten that many of us understand, and are constantly told, the next steps we must take to be successful, but we are not taught how to actually do any of these things. This is why Change Agents programs are so important to students like us. We need spaces to go tothat properly understand our questions and can talk us through what needs to be done whilegiving us the affirmation that we need in order to be confident in any work space we findourselves in. We need these resources on our campus in order to help us become successful in highereducation, as well as understanding how to proceed with it once we have graduated.

-Rosenda S.

English Major

University of California, Merced 

Class of 2021

* "Women" refers to gender-expansive people (cis women, trans women, non-binary, gender non-conforming individuals, and genderqueer individuals and any women-identified people).

about us

NICKIE ACERO

Head of Programs

RAVEN JONES

Head of Research Strategy

STEPHANIE VALDEZ

Lead Advisor, Instructors

Instructor

Briana Crowe

Instructor

Marisa Ramirez

Instructor

Arathi Govind

Community Manager

Karla Mondragon

Founder

lori chee

Instructor

Nancy Ma

GENDER PAY GAP will continue to widen

OUR COLLABORATIVE PARTNERS

COVID-19 has disproportionately affected the employment of underrepresented women and it will undoubtedly alter the pre-pandemic snapshot below.

Change Agents programs are so important to students like us

2020 college graduates are entering a very tight job market and will most definitely carry over the graduating class of 2021. Now more than ever, this the time to prove educated underrepresented first-generation graduates have the highest earning potential. An entry level job of $ 35,000 a year could make a significant impact on food and shelter insecurity. College-educated, this group has the best chance of helping them and their families survive. 

Over the last two years working with underrepresented college women, we’ve learned that they and their parents are solely focused on making sure they graduate. They are unaware how important it is to also prepare to seek employment and getting a degree does not ensure professional employment. It is not a top priority until they graduate. They do seek out career services resources, but seek to find support that is unique to their situations.

An Immediate and Actionable Solution

Hermanas Unidas de UC Merced

UC Berkeley

Imparting Knowledge to Survive

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5+

target audience experienced facilitators

Introducing Career Catalyst Program

Change Agents have a simple, immediate and scalable support program to help underrepresented students prepare to seek employment and directly connect the value of getting a college degree.