Host Jeremy C. Park interviews Graham Thomas, Chief Community and Government Affairs Officer for tnAchieves, a nonprofit organization focused on building Tennessee's future workforce, one student at a time. The organization has a range of programs to help students, especially first-generation college students, succeed in their post-secondary education and take first steps in their career through structured supports and mentoring. During the interview, Graham discusses the organization's mentorship programs and their impact on increasing graduation rates and workforce development. The conversation concludes with details about their new workforce mentorship program aimed at connecting students with mentors to prepare them for employment by early 2026. The organization is seeking adult mentors in various professions across Tennessee to spend a small amount of time with students to help open their eyes to new career possibilities.

Summary

tnAchieves: College Success Initiative - Graham Thomas, Chief Community and Government Affairs Officer at tnAchieves, discusses the organization's mission and impact. Graham explains how tnAchieves, which predates the Tennessee Promise program, focuses on helping students enroll in and succeed in post-secondary education, particularly for first-generation college students. He highlights the organization's traditional access mentorship program, which has been running for 17 years, and the program's success in increasing graduation rates from 5-6% to 41% for vulnerable populations and notes that 53,000 alumni have graduated, with 84.7% choosing to stay in Tennessee. The discussion emphasizes the economic benefits and workforce development implications of tnAchieves' work, as well as the organization's role in breaking generational cycles of educational disadvantage.

tnAchieves Community Service Impact - Graham talks about the importance of community service with tnAchieves, highlighting its community service requirement where students provide 8 hours of service per semester, resulting in over 600,000 hours of community service completed by scholarship recipients since the program's inception 17 years ago. The program, which began as a privately funded initiative, now is known to be the largest community service organization in the state.

Enhancing Student Career Pathways - Graham discusses their efforts to address the gap between students who want to transfer after earning their two-year degree and those who enter the workforce. He explains that while the transfer rate has improved from 15% to 50% with their transfer program, they are now focusing on supporting students who choose to enter the workforce. Graham highlights the success of job shadowing opportunities at various companies, including St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and Eastman, and announces the launch of a new workforce mentorship program to provide personalized guidance to students as they approach graduation.

Rural-Urban Mentorship Program Initiative - The workforce mentorship program aims to connect students, including those in rural Tennessee, with adult mentors working in their careers of interest to offer basic guidance and support. Graham explains that while geographical proximity is not the primary focus, the program will prioritize subject matter expertise and career fields to provide valuable mentorship opportunities.

Mentorship Initiative for Student Success - Graham and Jeremy discuss the need for 5,000 mentors, with over 700 needed in Memphis alone, to support local students. Graham emphasizes the importance of life advice and mentorship, promising comprehensive training and support for mentors. Jeremy highlights the value of exposing students to various career paths and the opportunity for businesses to recruit young professionals through mentorship. Graham stresses the significance of mentorship in guiding students and the availability of the staff for ongoing support. Jeremy adds that volunteering in such programs often brings unexpected personal benefits to mentors, too.

tnAchieves Workforce Mentorship Initiative - Graham discusses the program's goal of pairing 5,000 students with mentors by early December 2025 so the mentorship can begin in early 2026. He provides the website (http://www.tnachieves.org) and phone number (615-604-1306) for interested participants to sign up and learn more. The program aims to prepare students for college or employment by early 2026, with the next steps involving training and matching students with mentors to help them achieve their educational and career goals.

Visit https://www.tnachieves.org or call 615-604-1306 to learn more and become a mentor.