A true community gem - Programs Reality Changers Employee Review

Reality Changers has an incredible mission that makes a direct and tangible impact on students and their families. It’s inspiring work that keeps you motivated when things get tough. Staff, even those in administrative roles, are given meaningful opportunities to engage with students through events like Speech Nights, Career Exploration Week, Scholar Celebration, and fundraisers, which helps keep the mission front and center. Small team = big opportunities. You’ll wear many hats, which makes for a rich, well-rounded professional development experience. Great for anyone looking to grow their skills across departments. Leadership and the board of directors are passionate, mission-driven, and supportive. The organization is intentional about celebrating and uplifting marginalized communities, and speaks about students in an asset-based way. There’s a lot of thought put into how stories are shared and how students are represented—with dignity and respect.

As a small nonprofit, internal advancement opportunities can be limited simply due to the size of the team. However, the skills and experience gained here prepare you well for leadership roles across the sector.

This program has helped me a lot as a first-generation high school student. I’ve gotten support with college, learned new things, and met staff who really cared about students and families. A lot of students have benefited from this program, including me, and I am thankful for that.

I’ve been in the program for a few years, and it’s been sad to see so many staff members leave. Students and families build real relationships with these people, so when staff are suddenly gone, we notice. It is not just a small change for us. These are people who helped us with school, college, our families, and our future. When they leave suddenly, it feels confusing and disappointing. It also makes the program feel less stable. A big part of the program is trust. Students and families are asked to open up, ask for help, and depend on staff for support. So when those staff members are let go or leave often, it hurts that trust. It can feel like the relationships students built did not matter as much as they should have. It also feels like the program cares a lot about how things look, but not always about how people are treated. From the outside, the program talks a lot about helping first-generation students and supporting the community. But as a student, I also see how tired and stressed staff can seem. I see people leave. I hear families and students notice it too. That makes it hard to believe everything is okay. A lot of the staff are people who really care. Some are former students or first-generation people themselves. That makes it even harder to see them treated like they are easy to replace. These are the same kinds of people the program says it wants to help, so it does not feel right when they are not supported. I’m still staying because my parents want me to, and I do want to make the most of what I have here. I am thankful for the help I have received. But I also think it is fair to say that things have changed, and not always in a good way. It is tiring to keep seeing people leave and then pretend like everything is normal.