Educational opportunities. Career readiness. Financial freedom.

About
 Making Waves

About  Making Waves

College and Career Success Program

What's trending

Find an Internship

We’ve curated a list of internship, externship, fellowship, and job opportunities so you don’t have to.

News that's making waves

How Our Healthcare Pilot is Shaping a Regional Career Pathways Model

December 29, 2025

Bonnie, Giovanna, and Runor smiling in front of Making Waves banner in front of text for Your Guide for hiring and managing social media and content creator interns

Your guide for hiring and managing social media interns and content creators – and watching them shine

December 1, 2025

"Building healthier communities" in bold, "Alison Paxtor's path to public health" in subtext, Alison Paxtor on the side

Building Healthier Communities: Alison Paxtor’s Career Path in Public Health

November 20, 2025

Strengthen your skills

Your guide for hiring and managing social media interns and content creators – and watching them shine

December 1, 2025

Photo of Giovanna and Runor holding peace signs and text for Internship recap: How I built community and increased this nonprofit’s social media following by more than 30% in a year

Internship recap: How I built community and increased this nonprofit’s social media following by more than 30% in a year

December 1, 2025

Building Healthier Communities: Alison Paxtor’s Career Path in Public Health

November 20, 2025

Latest videos

Making Waves supports thousands of students from low-income backgrounds through the lifecycle of their education and employment journeys

Our impact

A-G completion rate

100%

51%

Making Waves

California

Source: California Competes

Four-year college graduation rate

76%

48%

Making Waves

National Peers

Source: Pell Institute

Job attainment

48%

Making Waves

National Bachelor Degree Earners

(Employed in a college-level job or started graduate school one year after graduation.) Source: Strada Education Foundation

College grads with $0 debt

91%

16%

Making Waves

National Peers

Source: Pell Institute

Making Waves supports thousands of students from low-income backgrounds through the lifecycle of their education and employment journeys

Our impact

Our community

1,428

Students across Making Waves programs

861

All-time college degree recipients

82%

Are from low-income backgrounds

Our model

Purpose, passions, and goals

College readiness for all

Jobs skills, career ready

College degrees, debt-free

Career-connected learning in action

Connect With Us

What our students say

Being able to go through college without having to take out any student loans is huge, especially for my family. Making Waves has made things feel a lot less scary knowing I have someone who I can always reach out to.”

Ysabel David (she/her)

Scripps College '25

Ready to get involved?

Meet a Wave-Maker

See how this UC Berkeley grad became the first lawyer in her family.

Partnership opportunities

Support students, build a more diverse workforce, and engage your employees.

Become a donor

Support the next generation of leaders.

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Educational opportunities. Career readiness. Financial freedom.

What's trending

How Our Healthcare Pilot is Shaping a Regional Career Pathways Model

Your guide for hiring and managing social media interns and content creators – and watching them shine

Building Healthier Communities: Alison Paxtor’s Career Path in Public Health

Your guide for hiring and managing social media interns and content creators – and watching them shine

Internship recap: How I built community and increased this nonprofit’s social media following by more than 30% in a year

Building Healthier Communities: Alison Paxtor’s Career Path in Public Health

Latest videos

Making Waves supports thousands of students from low-income backgrounds through the lifecycle of their education and employment journeys​

Our impact

A-G completion rate

Four-year college graduation rate

Job attainment

College grads with $0 debt

Making Waves supports thousands of students from low-income backgrounds through the lifecycle of their education and employment journeys

Our impact

Our community

Our model

Career-connected learning in action

What our students say

Ready to get involved?

Making Waves supports thousands of students from low-income backgrounds through the lifecycle of their education and employment journeys