Title
Impact over time
Year
2024
Story told by
Chris Sackett
When Chris looks back on his time with One Million Degrees, the moments that matter most are not the ones he could have named at the time. The impact became clearer later, once life moved on and the structure of school fell away.
“You don’t always understand the impact right away,” he says. “Sometimes you only see it years later.”
Christopher Sackett
As a scholar, the focus was immediate. Staying enrolled. Managing responsibilities. Taking the next step in front of him.
“I didn’t realize it in the moment,” he says. “But looking back, it really changed how I see myself.”
What stayed with him was not a single resource or milestone, but a way of thinking. Being surrounded by other scholars who shared similar starting points made progress feel possible. Seeing people a step or two ahead helped recalibrate what felt realistic for his own life.
“Being around other scholars showed me what was possible,” he says.
Over time, that exposure turned into a quieter belief in his ability to navigate uncertainty. Chris describes carrying that belief with him into decisions he made after graduation, even when the path forward was not clear.
“It helped me believe that I could keep going,” he says, “even when things weren’t clear.”
Chris’s experience echoes what many alumni describe when they look back. The impact settles in slowly. It becomes part of how you approach challenges, how you assess risk, and how you imagine your future.
“The impact didn’t stop when I graduated,” Chris says. “It stayed with me.”
Years later, the value of that experience is easier to name. It is not about where he landed, but how he learned to keep moving.
Chris’s story is one of many, but it captures a shared truth across One Million Degrees’ alumni community. When support is consistent and belief is reinforced early, its effects extend far beyond the moment. Long after programs end, the impact remains.
That is what stays with you.
