Adrienne Diercks

Founder & Executive Director @Project Success

Minneapolis, MN, US

My passion to connect students to their purpose led me to begin Project Success in 1994 with 200 students at Minneapolis North High School and the support of the Guthrie Theater. Today, our team has grown the program to work with more than students and their families across all the middle and high schools in Minneapolis and the public middle schools in Mankato, with 50 theater partners across the Twin Cities. We work with students over a seven-year period, from middle school through high school, to help them develop life skills and inspire them to act on their dreams. Each component of PS programming — Workshops, Arts, Expeditions, and Institute — comes together as part of our unique “students-first” methodology, which along with our outcomes, truly sets Project Success apart. Over the past few decades, we’ve seen qualitatively and quantitatively that Project Success works: 90% of high school students report that PS helps them create a plan for after graduation, and students who participate see gains in graduation rates, attendance and GPA — all predictors of student success.

Whittier College

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), English