Leaders Dream Big addresses the lack of confidence and encouragement underserved students have to pursue ambitious education and career goals. We aim to show every student that, with hard work and determination, they can achieve anything in life. Since our founding in 2017, our primary project has been our annual Washington, DC trip program to broaden the horizons of inner-city Detroit students. We fundraised over $60,000 to ensure that these trips were cost-free for the students. During two week-long trips, 75 middle school students visited monuments, explored museums, and met with United States congressional leaders—Representatives John Lewis, Debbie Dingell, Brenda Lawrence, Rashida Tlaib, Mark DeSaulnier, John Moolenaar, and Justin Amash and Michigan Senators Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters. From these life-altering experiences, the students realized the power of higher education to elevate them out of poverty and improve their communities. With new confidence, they promised to pursue their dreams and succeed with hard work and perseverance.
