A Better Chance

10/12/2026

10 DAYS UNTIL RISING STARS 2026

Are you ready to connect with the people shaping what's next?

October 21

10/12/2026

Every tradition tells a story.

Today, we honor Indigenous Peoples’ Day and recognize the rich histories, cultures, traditions, and contributions of Indigenous peoples and communities.

Indigenous traditions carry generations of knowledge, identity, resilience, and connection. Through language, art, storytelling, food, music, and cultural practices, these traditions help preserve stories of the past while continuing to shape communities today.

Indigenous Peoples’ Day is an opportunity to celebrate these contributions while also taking time to learn about the histories and experiences of Indigenous communities.

At A Better Chance, we believe education helps us understand one another, appreciate different perspectives, and build communities rooted in respect and inclusion.

Today, we encourage our community to listen, learn, and celebrate Indigenous voices and cultures. Because every tradition tells a story—and every story is worth learning.

10/08/2026

Are you a Rising Star?

You might be building your career.
You might be leading change.
You might be launching something new.
You might be creating opportunities for others.
Whatever your path, Rising Stars 2026 is a place to connect with people who are moving ideas, and communities, forward.

Join us October 21

10/05/2026

Unidos, Somos Más — Together, We Are More.

From September 15 through October 15, we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, recognizing the histories, cultures, traditions, and contributions of Latino communities across the United States. The observance began in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week and was expanded to a month in 1988.

This year’s theme, “Unidos, Somos Más,” speaks to the strength found in community. Our experiences may come from different countries, cultures, and traditions, but there is power in the connections we build and the ways we support one another.

This month, we are proud to highlight ABC alum Sofia, whose commitment to her Latino community embodies this spirit. Through participating in and leading initiatives that foster community, Sofia has helped create opportunities for connection, celebration, and support.

Her story is a reminder that leadership can take many forms. Sometimes, it begins simply with showing up, bringing people together, and creating spaces where others feel seen and connected.

We invite our community to join the conversation: What Hispanic tradition, food, music, celebration, or cultural experience is meaningful to you?

Share your story with us in the comments. We would love to celebrate the experiences and traditions that bring our community together.

Unidos, Somos Más.

09/30/2026

Introducing our 2026 Rising Stars Honoree:

Jameel Mohammed

Jameel Mohammed is an Artist and Designer born and raised in Chicago, IL. He founded KHIRY in 2016 as an undergraduate, studying political science at the University of Pennsylvania after being told that true luxury brands could only emerge from Paris and Milan. KHIRY was established to subvert the conventions of luxury; employing the sector’s emphasis on rarified design, precise craftsmanship, transportive image-making, fine materials, and seductive narrative to make pointed statements about the value of Black life and culture.

His demi-fine jewelry collection has been carried at Barneys, The Webster, Moda Operandi, and McMullen, and his work has been featured in Vogue, The New York Times, Vanity Fair, The Cut, Teen Vogue, W, Essence, and T Magazine. His pieces are worn and cherished by notable global women including Michelle Obama, Serena Williams, Janelle Monae, Yara Shahidi, Ava Duvernay, and Solange Knowles. His drawings are featured in Black Futures, a collection by Kimberly Drew and Jenna Wortham. He has designed collaborations with Academy Award winning, Coming 2 America, designed for the principal characters in collaboration with costume designer Ruth E. Carter.

Jameel was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 List in the Art and Style category for 2021, and became a finalist in CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund the same year. He is also the recipient of the Fashion Scholarship Fund Accelerator Grant, and the Harlem’s Fashion Row Icon 360 Award, and was nominated for American Emerging Designer of the Year at the 2021 CFDA Awards. In 2025, he was named the inaugural recipient of the Tiffany & Co. x CFDA Jewelry Designer Award and currently serves as a Jewelry Design Fellow at Tiffany.

Awards

• Tiffany & Co. x CFDA Jewelry Designer Award
• Forbes 30 Under 30 - Art + Style
• CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund - Finalist
• CFDA Award, Emerging Designer of the Year 2021 - Nominee
• Harlem's Fashion Row Icon 360 Award - Winner
• Fashion Trust US - Finalist

We can’t wait to celebrate Jameel Muhammed and our incredible community of rising professionals and changemakers.

09/26/2026

This October 21, Rising Stars 2026 takes over Somewhere Nowhere for an evening of great energy, meaningful connections, good vibes, and inspiring people coming together under one roof.

Here’s a preview of the evening to come.

09/25/2026

We’re excited to announce that registration for Rising Stars 2026 is officially open!

On October 21, A Better Chance invites our Alumni, leaders, and changemakers from across industries to Rising Stars 2026 for an evening designed to rekindle old connections as well as create new ones, exchange ideas, and expand professional networks. [And of course have fun!]

[Whether you're looking to meet new people, connect with future collaborators, discover new perspectives, or simply get in a room with people who are making an impact, Rising Stars is where those connections happen.]

RSVP: https://abetterchance.org/events/2026-rising-stars/

09/23/2026

🏆 We are thrilled to announce Pace Academy as the recipient of the 2026 A Better Chance Southeast Region Placement Award!

This award recognizes the Southeast Region that placed the highest number of A Better Chance Scholars during the 2025–2026 placement cycle.

This recognition celebrates more than a placement milestone—it reflects a longstanding partnership between Pace Academy and A Better Chance and the meaningful impact of creating opportunities for Scholars to thrive.

As Mac McCallum, Director of Enrollment Management at Pace Academy, shared:

“This award is a celebration of a partnership that sits at the very heart of Pace. Over the years, hundreds of A Better Chance Scholars and families have walked our halls and left an indelible mark on our school community. We see their leadership, vision and drive every day on our campus and in the real change our alumni create in the world long after graduation.”

We are grateful to Pace Academy for its continued commitment to welcoming A Better Chance Scholars and families into its community and for helping Scholars pursue their educational goals while making a lasting impact on campus and beyond.

Congratulations to Pace Academy on this well-deserved recognition! We are proud to celebrate the Scholars who are part of the Pace community today and look forward to welcoming generations to come. 💙

09/23/2026

Behind every great employee experience is an operation that works.

Proud to be featured in a DocuSign customer story showcasing how A Better Chance transformed manual HR processes into a streamlined, scalable experience for our team. By modernizing workflows and reducing administrative friction, we've been able to improve efficiency, strengthen compliance, and create more time to focus on our mission: expanding educational opportunities for talented students of color.

Technology is most powerful when it helps people do their best work, and this partnership with DocuSign has done exactly that.

Read more about our journey: https://www.docusign.com/customer-stories/a-better-chance-turns-manual-hr-into-seamless-employee-experiences-with-docusign-iam

Freeing HR to focus on people, not paperwork For more than 60 years, A Better Chance (ABC) has sought to expand access to educational opportunities for high-ach

09/22/2026

At 6, she fled Nigeria's civil war with her family. Today, she leads television at NBCUniversal. Tomorrow, Variety honors her, and she's championing A Better Chance.

We're proud to celebrate A Better Chance Alumna Pearlena Igbokwe, NBCUniversal chairman of Television Studios, NBC Entertainment and Peacock Scripted originals, as a 2026 Variety Power of Women honoree. She has chosen A Better Chance as her cause for the honor.

As a teenager in Montclair, NJ, Pearlena attended Kent Place School through A Better Chance. She tells Variety it "opened a door to a world that I didn't know existed."

That door led to 35+ years shaping television and a lesson she still carries: "You can have 10 people doubting you... but all you need is one or two to say, 'You're the right person for that job."

That is the work of A Better Chance. Talent is everywhere; what's often missing is someone who opens the door. Now Pearlena is opening it for the next generation.

Congratulations, Pearlena. The A Better Chance family is cheering you on.

Read her story in Variety: Her Road to the Top: https://variety.com/2026/tv/features/pearlena-igbokwe-nbc-universal-tv-studio-boss-1236860415/