Change you can measure.
Our program combines big ideas and concrete results—the aspirational and the tangible. It’s about more than feeling good or building a resumé; it’s also about making real, quantifiable change—in students, educators and communities alike.
For student scholars: More personal growth than a year of college
Want to know how a Bezos Scholars experience can help you grow as a leader and as a person? We can tell you. We aim for—and measure—outcomes that align with the Multi-Institutional Study of Leadership, a research program focused on how leadership development produces specific results. Our impact assessments show that after a year in the program, student scholars yield equivalent or higher learning gains across critical leadership and socio-emotional outcomes as students who have completed a full year of college.
We aim for students to make gains in their:
Sense of belonging
The degree to which students feel a sense of affiliation and connection to the program and can instill a sense of belonging in others.
Leadership efficacy
A student’s internal beliefs about their likelihood of success when engaging in leadership processes.
Agency
The ability to start and sustain goal-directed efforts.
Resilience
The ability to persist in the midst of adversity and positively cope with stress.
Search for purpose
Meaning-making grounded in the exploration of life’s deeper purpose.
Collaboration
The desire and ability to work effectively with others in group processes.
Navigating pathways
The ability to envision multiple pathways to achieve goals.
Civic impact
The ability to take actions to leave a legacy and enhance the community beyond oneself.
This program has transformed the lives and motivational level for so many teachers. You have reinvigorated my passion for teaching.
For educator scholars: Memorable mentorship. Strengthened and invigorated educators.
Educator scholars say the Bezos Scholars Program is a memorable and transformational experience that deepens their love of teaching and supporting students. Educator participation demonstrated meaningful and significant gains across all outcomes as well as strengthened sense of belonging for students.
Read more about the program’s impact on educators.
For Communities: Collaborative action that sparks change
To see the impact of the Bezos Scholars Program—and of our Scholars’ ideas and passion—look no further than the Community Change Projects that every Scholar produces, many of which carry on for years to come. Projects offer fresh approaches to communities’ most pressing challenges and are as varied and dynamic as Scholars themselves.
Many projects fall into one of the following categories—although we love nothing better than when a scholar creates a category all their own: arts, global issues, community building, the environment, education, health, and diversity, equity and inclusion. Learn more about how Community Change Projects work.