Celebrating an Exciting New Chapter for Aneesh Sohoni and OMD

EVENTS

We don't have any upcoming events right now,
be sure to check back soon!

Thursday, September 11, 2025

Windy City Ballroom, Chicago Athletic Center
12 S. Michigan Ave Chicago, IL 60603

7:30 a.m.

Return on Impact Employer Breakfast

Join One Million Degrees for the 2025 Return on Impact Corporate Breakfast, where we explore the business case for investing in community college talent. Learn how Chicago-area employers are transforming lives and strengthening their workforce through purpose-driven partnerships, and why the return is measurable and lasting for companies, students, and communities.

RSVP

Ongoing

OMD Volunteer Coach Info Sessions

Interested in becoming an OMD Coach? Attend one of our virtual info sessions to learn more, ask questions, and take the next steps signing up.

Register

Session 1: 10/30, 5:30 – 6:30 p.m.

Session 2: 10/31, 12 – 1 p.m.

OMD Works: Resume Workshops

Join the OMD Workforce team for a resume best practices workshop. Two dates are available.

These workshops are open to OMD Scholars, Alumni, and Apprentices and require advance registration.

 

OMD Scholars, register via the Scholar Community app or website.

 

Alumni and Apprentices, please register here:

session 1
session 2

10.29.2024, 12 – 1:15 p.m.

10.29.2024, 12 – 1:15 p.m.

Rock Your Profile with LinkedIn

Learn tips, tricks, and best practices to make your LinkedIn profile stand out.

VIEW EVENT

Friday, May 16, 2025

Degrees of Impact Gala 2025

Join us at the Life & Science Building, Lincoln Yards to celebrate another year of OMD’s impact.. Hear from OMD Scholars and help us honor our supporters, partners, and community members like you.

VIEW EVENT

Wednesday, May 21, 2025

11 a.m. – 2 p.m on Zoom

Entrepreneurship Showcase

Join us on Wednesday, May 21, 2025, from 11 AM–2 PM CST via Zoom for OMD’s second annual Entrepreneurship Showcase! This exciting event is open to all Scholars, Apprentices, Alumni, Coaches, and Partners.

VIEW EVENT

Saturday, May 31, 2025

The OMD Coach Appreciation Brunch

We love to celebrate our coaches and volunteers!

Join us as we celebrate this year’s coaches.

When: Saturday, May 31, 2025, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Where: Morgan’s on Fulton
950 W Fulton St, Chicago, IL 60607
 
 
This event is open to current OMD coaches and volunteers, or anyone interested in learning more about getting involved.
 
 

10.29.2024, 12:00 – 1:15 p.m. or 2:00 – 3:15 p.m.

Rock Your Profile with LinkedIn

At the Rock Your Profile session you will….

  • Learn and teach best practices for maximizing LinkedIn’s potential.
  • Discover how to use AI tools to craft compelling digital narratives.
  • Maintain a strong and consistent online presence.

This event is open to OMD Scholars, Alumni, and Apprentices and requires advanced registration.

 

Alumni and Apprentices, please register here.

 

OMD Scholars, learn more and register via the Scholar Community app or website.

05.17.2024

Degrees of Impact Gala 2024

Join us at Rockwell on the River to celebrate a year of building momentum. Hear from OMD Scholars and help us honor our supporters, partners, and community members like you. 

VIEW EVENT

22.03.2023

Degrees of Impact Gala 2023

Nearly 500 people came together to celebrate our scholar’s pathways to success and future vendors of OMD. Your belief in the power of our scholars and community college helped raise over $700,000!

VIEW EVENT

Session 1: 10/30, 5:30 – 6:30 p.m.

Session 2: 10/31, 12 – 1 p.m.

OMD Works: Resume Workshops

Join the OMD Workforce team for a resume best practices workshop. Two dates are available.

These workshops are open to OMD Scholars, Alumni, and Apprentices and require advance registration.

 

OMD Scholars, register via the Scholar Community app or website.

 

Alumni and Apprentices, please register here:

session 1
session 2
David Scherer

David Scherer, Treasurer

One Million Degrees Co-founder 

David is principal of Origin, co-chairs the Investment Committee, and oversees investment analysis, acquisition and asset management. He has more than 20 years of experience in real estate investing, finance, and asset management. In 2006, he co-founded One Million Degrees, which has raised $20 million to help low-income community college students graduate and successfully enter the workforce. David has served as the organization’s Board Chair for the past 12 years, as the organization has grown from 30 to 1,000 students served per year. He also serves as the President of the Harvard Club of Chicago and is on the Advisory Board of Invest for Kids.  

Rose Lizarraga

Rose Lizarraga

OMD CO-Founder & President & CEO, Lysa LLC

An award-winning documentary filmmaker and freelance writer, Rose’s career also includes 10 years spent developing new product and brand strategies as well as marketing and advertising campaigns at Leo Burnett, Foote, Cone & Belding, M&M/Mars and other small businesses.  More recently, she worked as a writer/editor for Modern Luxury Inc., publishers of magazines such as CS and Angeleno.  Rose graduated from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor with dual degrees in English and Political Science.  She is a founding member of the Daniel M. Kerrane, Jr. Foundation, former Board Vice President of the Fairy Godmother Foundation, and currently serves on the Chicago committee for Human Rights Watch.

Michael B Golden

Michael B. Golden

One Million Degrees Co-Founder 

A former national award-winning broadcast journalist, Michael Golden has also served as a political campaign manager and communications strategist for U.S. Presidential, Senate and Congressional races. Michael is a fellow at the British-American Project and the Open Society Institute. In 1999, Michael’s investigative and public affairs reporting for NBC earned him honors from the Society of Professional Journalists, the AP, and the Edward R. Murrow Awards. In 2011, Michael co-founded Newsbound, Inc., a media and software company based in San Francisco, CA. He is also a co-founder of the Complete the Degree back-to-college initiative in Chicago, Illinois. Michael serves on the board of the ADL and on the governing board of the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law, as well as the Illinois Commission to Eliminate Poverty. He received his B.A. from Indiana University, and his M.S. in Public Services Management from DePaul University.