Newsroom & Blog
Learn more about Project Success through recent media and our own blog stories.
Project Success in the News
Media Inquiries: Project Success is open to requests from media seeking expert commentary on current trends in youth development programming, K12 education, or stories about the incredible students and families we work with daily across our Workshops, Arts, Expeditions, and Institute programs. To request an interview or a site visit, contact Adrienne Diercks, Founder and Executive Director.
North Notables: Adrienne Diercks of Project Success
Artful Living
KEYC News Mankato: Project Success Expanding into Mankato Area Public Schools
KEYC News
NBC Nightly News: Kids Edition Features Project Success Musicals Program
NBC Nightly News: Kids Edition
Project Success Blog
Check out the latest stories from Project Success about our programs, outcomes, and impact!
-
From Ninth Grade to Senior Year
At South High School, Project Success facilitator Heidi Hafermann reflects on four years of relationships, growth, and the lasting connections that help students build confidence and imagine what’s possible for their futures.
-
A Golden Start at Sanford
With 142 students auditioning for Willy Wonka Jr., Sanford’s musical season is off to an exciting start, full of courage, second chances, and opportunities to grow.
-
The Institute is back
From culinary classes and bike repair to drawing and technology, students are discovering new interests, building skills, and finding community at the PS Institute.
-
Trying Something New
From paddling canoes to making new friends, 292 Andersen United sixth graders discovered what can happen when they step outside their comfort zones during Project Success River Adventure Days.
-
What’s Possible This Year
Project Success students are stepping into a new school year filled with opportunities to explore, create, connect, and grow. See what’s ahead across Workshops, Arts, Expeditions, and Institute, and how the Project Success curriculum connects it all.
-
Working Hand in Hand
What does Project Success look like from an educator’s perspective? Seven of our school partners share how the work goes hand in hand.
-
Mankato: A Year of Conscious Choices
As Project Success begins its fourth school year in Mankato, the students we first met in seventh grade are now tenth graders. This year, they’ll explore conscious decision-making while Project Success continues growing alongside them, building on years of relationships, learning, and intentional choices.
-
Who is a teacher who’s made a difference in your life?
As a new school year begins to take shape, we’re taking a moment to celebrate the teachers who inspire, encourage,…
-
More Than a Workshop: How Lasting Relationships Help Students Grow
During the 2025–26 school year, Project Success facilitators led 4,570 classroom workshops across 24 middle and high schools in Minneapolis and Mankato. For many students, the facilitator leading those workshops wasn’t someone they had just met; it was someone who had been part of their journey for years.
-
212 PS Students Explore the BWCA and Discover Themselves: “I’m stronger than I thought”
This summer, 212 middle school students from 13 Minneapolis schools took part in one of Project Success’s longest-running experiential learning programs. Across five weeklong expeditions in partnership with Wilderness Canoe Base, students explored the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness while discovering more about themselves and one another.
-
We Want to Hear From You: What Place Changed You?
Tell us about a time you stepped outside your familiar space and what it taught you about yourself or the world.
-
Growing Together: Three Years of Project Success in Mankato
Three years ago, when Project Success first arrived in Mankato, marking its first expansion beyond the Twin Cities, the goal was simple: build relationships with students in middle school and grow alongside them over time.
This year, that vision reached an important milestone.
Project Success Spokespeople
Media Inquiries: Project Success is open to requests from media seeking expert commentary on current trends in youth development programming, K12 education, or stories about the incredible students and families we work with daily across our Workshops, Arts, Expeditions, and Institute programs. To request an interview, quote, or a site visit, contact Adrienne Diercks, Founder and Executive Director.
Adrienne Diercks
Founder and Executive Director
[email protected]612.874.1777 More about Adrienne Diercks
Laura Garcia
Senior Director of Programs – Minneapolis
[email protected]612-876-3907 More about Laura Garcia
Dr. Elia Dimayuga-Bruggeman
Senior Education Advisor
[email protected] More about Dr. Elia Dimayuga-BruggemanAsset Library & Policies
About Project Success: Since 1994, Project Success has been connecting students to their purpose through a proven methodology of experiential learning called DIG (Dream. Ignite. Grow.) Project Success motivates and inspires each student in every school we serve to dream about their futures, help them create a plan to get there, and give them the tools and support they need to achieve their goals. Project Success has grown to serve more than 17,000 students annually in all Minneapolis public middle and high schools and now growing in the Mankato Area Public Schools district. Project Success has served 225,000+ students and counting: alumni who have a deeper understanding of themselves and an authentically personal vision of their future. To request use of Project Success logo, images, or b-roll, please reach out to [email protected].
Student Safety & Support: Project Success abides by the duty of care to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people. Consent to interviews and photography is a critical component of our Student Safety and Support policy. Project Success requires the parent of any student under 18, or a student who is over 18, to sign a consent/photo release form before granting an interview or being photographed.