The Reality Changers team has Selected OSIRUS POLACHART as our First quarter “Agent of Change.”
This special award recognizes a staff member who shows a deep commitment to our mission and examplifies our values. Read on to learn more about Academy Instructor Osirus Polachart.
Are you a first-gen college graduate? If yes, what did it mean to you/your family for you to graduate from college?
I am a first-gen college student. Living in a single-parent household, that meant a lot to my family. I remember my mom working 12-14 hour shifts every day at a factory and then coming home to make me a meal. I saw how hard she worked just to give me better opportunities.
I worked hard as a community college student at Mount San Antonio College, which transformed my life. I grew interested in political science and ethnic studies. Eventually, I graduated from UC Berkeley. It definitely made my mom proud and it meant so much to my family that someone had finally graduated from college.
What is your favorite thing about working at Reality Changers?
My favorite thing about working at Reality Changers is, of course, the students. I love being able to work with them on achieving their dreams and sharing my passion for advocacy and academics with them.
What work accomplishment are you most proud of?
I am most proud of our new speech and debate team. Speech and debate was so important for me in realizing who I was and speaking out against injustice. Sharing my love for speech and debate and teaching students how to advocate for themselves and for their community is extremely important. I enjoy the fact that I get to lead this initiative.
Why is Reality Changers’ mission important to you?
The Reality Changers mission is important to me because I believe creating agents of change and helping first-gen students gain access to college go hand-in-hand. As older first-gen graduates ourselves, the team here is essentially passing the torch to these future first-gen graduates. We are empowering students through voice and assisting them in realizing their academic potential. It’s at the core of our mission to educate students of color who act as impactful leaders in their community. That’s important to me because these kids can potentially change the world.
