About Us

In 2013, over a pizza dinner, Monica Gray Logothetis and Annie Medaglia hatched an idea that aimed to transform how to connect classrooms to careers.

After becoming friends while classmates at the University of Virginia, they entered the working world and were quickly frustrated by the lack of volunteer opportunities – especially those in schools – that were possible for young professionals. Their situation wasn’t unique. Some of their most interesting and dynamic friends wanted to volunteer and give back to the next generation, but with the overlap of the school and work day, they just couldn’t make it work. They also knew from experience that exposure matters; some have more than others, leading to an opportunity gap.

For Monica, the effects of this lack of exposure felt personal: having grown up in rural Virginia, she knew firsthand the power that that career exposure could have for students like her, who have less access to professional role models. Students can’t be what they can’t see.

Looking at their phones, they realized the solution was in their hands. Using free video chat technology to break down geographic and timing barriers, they conceived of a solution to bring exceptional, diverse, and dynamic career role models directly into the classroom without them ever having to leave their desks.

Soon after that revelation, they launched a grassroots campaign to get the word out among teachers, focusing initially in rural Virginia. Through outreach and word of mouth, DreamWakers — derived from the Aristotle quote that “hope is a waking dream” — has grown to bring the real world into classrooms nationwide, connecting the dots between classroom and career.