This week, we kick off a special two-part podcast series spotlighting Persist Nashville, an organization dedicated to helping students not just get to college, but persist through it and graduate. Based in Nashville, Persist Nashville was founded to address a critical and often overlooked gap in higher education: the distance between enrollment and completion.
College success isn’t just about academics. It’s about navigating financial stress, balancing work and family responsibilities, managing mental health, and learning how to advocate for yourself in systems that aren’t always built with students in mind. Persist Nashville meets these challenges head-on through personalized, one-on-one coaching that supports the “whole” student. Their model centers on meeting students where they are and walking alongside them through every stage of their college journey.
Our guest for this episode is Dakota Hamilton, a Student Ambassador with Persist Nashville whose role extends far beyond representation. Dakota works closely with Persist coaches, sharing her lived experience at conferences, interviews, and through online publications. At the same time, she’s navigating her own path as a college student — giving her a unique and powerful perspective on what students truly need to succeed.
Dakota’s story is one of finding her voice and choosing to use it in service of others. She embodies the idea that lived experience is expertise. Rather than viewing her challenges as something to overcome quietly, Dakota recognizes their value — using what she’s learned to advocate for stronger, more responsive support systems for students who come after her.
Through Persist Nashville, Dakota is part of a model that treats college completion as a partnership, not a solo endeavor. It’s an approach that acknowledges students as whole people and honors their insight, resilience, and leadership. Student ambassadors like Dakota ensure that the work stays authentic, grounded, and responsive to real student needs.
This episode reminds us that extraordinary impact often begins with ordinary people willing to speak honestly about their experiences — and to use their voices to strengthen their communities. In our next episode, we’ll continue exploring Persist Nashville by hearing from the coaches and staff who work alongside students every day to make college completion possible.
Until then, remember: when students are empowered to share their truth, everyone benefits.
Click here to listen to this episode of the Doing Good podcast.
Doing Good is a 501c3 nonprofit. www.doinggood.tv