Effective September 19, 2022, eligible U.S. partners will have access to new benefits to further financial stability and manage student loan repayments&nbsp;&nbsp;

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SEATTLE – Today, building on Starbucks <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2017/starbucks-commitment-to-partners/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">historic commitments</a> to offering leading benefits for its partners (employees), Starbucks Coffee Company announced a set of programs, designed to support eligible partners when it comes to two critical areas of financial well-being: savings and student loan debt.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@starbuckspartners/video/7142535574950366510?is_from_webapp=v1&amp;item_id=7142535574950366510&amp;web_id=7052008764535391750" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The new benefits</a>, which will begin on September 19, will contribute to eligible partners’ financial stability and help them manage their higher education debt. Both programs were informed by thousands of conversations with partners over the last several months as the coffee company <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2022/a-message-from-howard-schultz-the-next-chapter-of-starbucks-reinvention/">reinvents its future</a>.

“We’ve heard from our partners and know that pressures of inflation, in addition to debt and savings are weighing heavily on them,” said Ron Crawford, SVP Total Rewards, Starbucks. “Providing industry-leading benefits for our partners is a cornerstone of who we are as a company. As we reinvent the future of Starbucks, together with our partners, we knew we had an opportunity to further support the financial well-being of our partners and their families.”

Working with Fidelity, Starbucks is introducing My Starbucks Savings, a new way to help eligible partners save for the unexpected. All eligible U.S. partners will be able to contribute a portion of after-tax pay on a recurring basis directly from their paycheck to a personal savings account. To incentivize savings and account growth, Starbucks will contribute $25 and $50 credits at key saving milestones up to a total of $250 per incentive eligible partner.

“Too many Americans are unprepared financially to handle the unexpected, and this current economic environment only makes it more important to help people establish solid savings behaviors and foundation to cover short-term expenses,” said <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/fidelitykevinbarry" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Kevin Barry</a>, president of Workplace Investing at Fidelity Investments. “As this program demonstrates, employers are in a position to help, which is why Fidelity is pleased to work with Starbucks and other companies to provide savers with a path to achieving their financial goals, such as emergency savings.”

Starbucks will also launch a Student Loan Management Benefit through Tuition.io to help eligible partners manage and optimize student loan repayments. Through this tool, eligible U.S. partners and their families will have access to new tools, resources and individual coaching to manage student loan debt, such as repayment options and loan refinancing. Tools within the platform will help partners view all their student loan debt in one place and locate the best individual action to take based on their personal repayment scenario and goals. This could include taking advantage of income-based repayment options, refinancing and planning how best to finance education for college-bound students and parents of students.

“Student loan debt remains a tremendous financial burden for the nearly 48 million U.S. consumers who have borrowed to finance the education necessary to unlock the best career opportunities,” said Scott Thompson, CEO of Tuition.io. "As we approach the time when payments will be restarted for federal loans, we're honored to work with Starbucks to support their partners and their families to make the best financial decisions regarding repayment of their student loans and options for financing their future education."

These benefits build on Starbucks continued work to support partners’ holistic well-being as a company with programs that include 401(k) with Starbucks Match, Bean Stock, comprehensive healthcare coverage, full tuition coverage for a Bachelor’s Degree through the Starbucks College Achievement Plan, Lyra mental health benefit <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2017/starbucks-commitment-to-partners/">and more</a>.

“We believe that when we invest in you and your greater aspirations we are investing in the success of Starbucks too,” said Sara Kelly, Starbucks chief partner officer. “This is just one more way we are co-creating a meaningful partner experience and a better future for Starbucks.”

This announcement builds on partner financial stability investments from Starbucks earlier this year when the company committed to <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2022/starbucks-commits-one-billion-in-fy2022-investments-to-uplift-partners-employees-and-the-store-experience/">increase partner pay</a>, effective August 1.

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Since 1971, Starbucks Coffee Company has been committed to ethically sourcing and roasting high-quality arabica coffee. Today, with more than 34,000 stores worldwide, the company is the premier roaster and retailer of specialty coffee in the world. Through our unwavering commitment to excellence and our guiding principles, we bring the unique Starbucks Experience to life for every customer through every cup. To share in the experience, please visit us in our stores or online at stories.starbucks.com or <a href="http://www.starbucks.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">www.starbucks.com</a>.

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These statements include statements relating to trends in or expectations relating to the effects of our existing and any future initiatives, strategies, investments and plans, including our reinvention plan, as well as trends in or expectations regarding our financial results and long-term growth model and drivers; our operations in the U.S. and China; our environmental, social and governance efforts; our partners; economic and consumer trends, including the impact of inflationary pressures; impact of foreign currency translation; strategic pricing actions; the conversion of certain market operations to fully licensed models; our plans for streamlining our operations, including store openings, closures and changes in store formats and models; expanding our licensing to Nestlé of our consumer packaged goods and Foodservice businesses and its effects on our Channel Development segment results; tax rates; business opportunities and expansion; strategic acquisitions; our dividends programs; commodity costs and our mitigation strategies; our liquidity, cash flow from operations, investments, borrowing capacity and use of proceeds; continuing compliance with our covenants under our credit facilities and commercial paper program; repatriation of cash to the U.S.; the likelihood of the issuance of additional debt and the applicable interest rate; the continuing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our financial results and future availability of governmental subsidies for COVID-19 or other public health events; our ceo transition; our share repurchase program; our use of cash and cash requirements; the expected effects of new accounting pronouncements and the estimated impact of changes in U.S. tax law, including on tax rates, investments funded by these changes and potential outcomes; and effects of legal proceedings. 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Actual future results and trends may differ materially depending on a variety of factors, including, but not limited to: the continuing impact of COVID-19 on our business; regulatory measures or voluntary actions that may be put in place to limit the spread of COVID-19, including restrictions on business operations or social distancing requirements, and the duration and efficacy of such restrictions; the resurgence of COVID-19 infections and the circulation of novel variants of COVID-19; fluctuations in U.S. and international economies and currencies; our ability to preserve, grow and leverage our brands; the ability of our business partners and third-party providers to fulfill their responsibilities and commitments; potential negative effects of incidents involving food or beverage-borne illnesses, tampering, adulteration, contamination or mislabeling; potential negative effects of material breaches of our information technology systems to the extent we experience a material breach; material failures of our information technology systems; costs associated with, and the successful execution of, the Company’s initiatives and plans; new initiatives and plans or revisions to existing initiatives or plans; our ability to obtain financing on acceptable terms; the acceptance of the Company’s products by our customers, evolving consumer preferences and tastes and changes in consumer spending behavior; partner investments, changes in the availability and cost of labor including any union organizing efforts and our responses to such efforts; failure to attract or retain key executive or employee talent or successfully transition executives; significant increased logistics costs; inflationary pressures; the impact of competition; inherent risks of operating a global business including any potential negative effects stemming from the Russian invasion of Ukraine; the prices and availability of coffee, dairy and other raw materials; the effect of legal proceedings; and the effects of changes in tax laws and related guidance and regulations that may be implemented and other risks detailed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including in the “Risk Factors” and “Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” sections of the company’s most recently filed periodic reports on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q and subsequent filings. 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Effective September 19, 2022, eligible U.S. partners will have access to new benefits to further financial stability and manage student loan repayments.

Starbucks Announces Student Loan Management and Savings Programs to Support Partner (Employee) Financial Well-Being

Stories to inspire and nurture the human spirit

Starbucks Stories

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After a tornado tore apart the Nashville area in March, David Bradley parked his car near the Meridian apartment complex in Hermitage, Tenn., and started walking toward the main office. It took him an hour to navigate through the rubble, broken glass everywhere and cars skewered by tree limbs. Whole buildings were missing entire sections of walls, and he looked with awe into abandoned rooms.&nbsp;

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As a volunteer with <a href="https://www.hon.org/">Hands on Nashville</a>, a nonprofit helping with the city’s recovery, he jumped in to help the residents of the 272 apartments that had been evacuated. He found answers for questions, connected people with resources and directed new volunteers as they showed up.&nbsp;

“I found myself helping, serving tacos (that had been donated by the <a href="https://www.thenashvillefoodproject.org/">Nashville Food Project</a>),” Bradley remembers. “A lot of people in the apartment complex spoke Spanish as their first language. We didn’t understand each other in terms of language, but the communion around eating and food produced a second of normalcy, even though behind me, there were devastated buildings. I put all my energy into giving as much love and positive support as I could.”&nbsp;

What does it mean to serve your community? What does it mean to do good? During these divisive and stressful times, how do you best show up and help?&nbsp;

For Bradley, 27, the answers are coming slowly but surely as he pours himself into the things he’s learning, the identities he’s shaping: at a Starbucks in Gallatin, Tenn., where he works as a shift supervisor; at home, where he’s a newly married husband; and at school, where he’s on the Dean’s List and on track to graduate next spring with an organizational leadership degree from Arizona State University’s (ASU) online program.&nbsp;

This week, Starbucks is proud to celebrate “Back to School” with Bradley and the rest of the 16,000 partners who are currently working towards their college degrees with the Starbucks College Achievement Plan (SCAP) – a program where Starbucks offers benefits-eligible employees 100 percent tuition coverage for a first-time degree through ASU.&nbsp;

Since the program’s inception in 2014, more than 4,700 partners – from all kinds of backgrounds – have graduated from ASU. Starbucks believes in creating meaningful opportunities for our partners, and believes these degrees will help them reach their full potential while supporting their efforts to address inequities and problems in our society.&nbsp;

Bradley was born in Nashville, and raised in a multigenerational house with his mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. He calls the time after high school his “blunder years.” He worked in restaurants with no path or purpose. He constantly felt indifferent and uncomfortable. “Long hair, don’t care” was his motto.&nbsp;

Seven years ago, he got a job as a Starbucks barista and eventually transferred to a store in Hendersonville, Tenn., where his manager, Guy Tustin, told him about SCAP and pushed him to try college. “I was nervous and tried to think of a million excuses as to why I was not cut out for college,” Bradley says. “For some reason, he saw a lot of potential in me. He knew that I needed a push.”&nbsp;

When he finally started school in 2016, it felt like “I grabbed onto a train,” Bradley says. Suddenly, he was ingesting 20-30 page papers, studying big issues like poverty and race relations in the South and corporate ethics, analyzing why certain social services got more funding than others, learning leadership principles and trying to apply them to his life.&nbsp;

“I realized all these things were going on in the world, and I realized that just wanting the world to be a better place, it wasn’t a plan, it wasn’t a goal. It was just wishful thinking,” Bradley says. “I transitioned into organizational leadership because I wanted to grow as a leader. I wanted to be a leader that advocated for mental health and the subjects that I cared about. I wanted to use my position and knowledge to highlight important social issues.” 

His time with Hands On Nashville, which meets community need through volunteerism, solidified some of those lessons. He’d been placed there through <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2019/starbucks-partners-make-deep-local-impact-with-innovative-service-program/">The Starbucks Foundation Service Fellows program</a>, a partnership with Points of Light, which allowed him to work part-time at Starbucks and part-time at the nonprofit for seven months. He describes the weeks helping Nashville recover – the long days, the constant legwork, the simultaneous stress and determination, the passion of the people working around him – as “the most challenging and best experience I have had as a person."&nbsp;&nbsp;

“I’m going to keep my doors open, keep focusing on my studies, keep learning and developing as a person, and when something walks into my line of sight, an opportunity, I’m just going to jump in and see what happens,” Bradley says of his plans after graduation.&nbsp;

“It’s not about trying to find your destination, it’s more about diving into the experience in front of you and trying to take everything from it,” he says. “If you let it, it has the power to transform your life. It’s done that for me.”&nbsp;

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For Tatiana Holt, the plan seemed pretty simple. Spend two years in the United States through an au pair-student exchange visa, improve her English and go back home to Bogotá, Colombia, where she’d be a stronger job candidate because of her overseas experience.&nbsp;

But about a year and a half later, at a Starbucks in Westfield, N.J., she met the man who’d eventually become her husband, a videographer with his own freelance production company. “It happened out of nowhere, it all happened so fast,” she remembers. “I ended up staying and starting my life from zero, away from family.”&nbsp;

When the exchange program ended, she needed a job. So she started working as a barista at the same store, picking it because she’d heard several employees speaking Spanish, her native language. Once there, her store manager Victor Espinoza told her about SCAP.&nbsp;

“Victor kept telling me, you can do it, you can do it,” recalls Holt, 31, now a Starbucks shift supervisor in Edison, N.J. “I just thought about it for a long time, about a year, and that’s when I applied with the dream of having a diploma in this country.”&nbsp;

Back in Colombia, as an only child, Holt had nurtured a desire to make a career in video, maybe as a post-production editor or a motion graphics artist. In high school, she’d shot videos while volunteering at the local YMCA, which was trying to help women and families escape poverty.&nbsp;

At ASU, she found a major, graphic information technology, through which she could study 2D and 3D animation. She’s minoring in film and media studies and also working part-time as a teaching assistant.&nbsp;

After a study-abroad opportunity to Italy was cancelled because of COVID-19, ASU placed her, via a global remote learning internship program, with <a href="https://actionaid.org.au/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI65GSpL_06gIVAz2tBh1jAgTaEAAYASAAEgJmuPD_BwE">ActionAid,</a> a nonprofit organization based in Australia that seeks to empower women to be leaders in their communities during times of crisis. Holt is working on video projects with ActionAid, giving her an opportunity to push her technical skills and apply them to real-life scenarios.&nbsp;

Holt said she likes the flexibility of online classes and the fact the lectures are always subtitled, so she can follow along and continue to improve her English. After she graduates this spring, she hopes to “create motion graphics that can help people learn about their community and inspire others to become a better version of themselves.” And, she wants to show that women can succeed in video editing and motion graphics, industries Holt sees filled mostly with men.&nbsp;

“When I moved to the U.S., I had to get my first car, my first credit card, my first everything. Even Starbucks, it was my first real job,” Holt says. “These seven years (since coming to America), I’ve changed so much, and Starbucks has helped me with that. And now I’m able to have a degree in the U.S. which I never thought I could be able to do.”&nbsp;

Actress, mom, student: “I won’t let anything stand in the way of this”&nbsp;

After spending her 20s pursuing an acting career, and most of her 30s raising three children, Najja Meeks is now facing a different kind of challenge: finishing college.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“I can tell you it’s not been easy, especially in the beginning, because I hadn’t been a student for so long,” says Meeks, a Starbucks shift supervisor in Burbank, Calif. “It was a very, very steep learning curve, especially the technology. The first semester, I worked so damn hard for those grades.”&nbsp;

She also wanted to set an example for her kids, ages 9, 6 and 4. Meeks, 38, is on track to graduate next spring with a degree from ASU in organizational leadership.&nbsp;

“I really wanted my children to see what setting a goal looked like and the necessary work in reaching it,” she says. “There were nights when I was crying and my kids would ask, ‘Why are you crying about your homework?’ I wanted them to see this process, even the ugly bits.”&nbsp;

Born in California, Meeks lived in Texas for a while before graduating from a performing arts high school in Los Angeles. She had dreams of going to New York City and training to be a stage actor. But although she felt a lot of support, her family situation was complicated, and she couldn’t come up with enough money to start school.&nbsp;

She took some community college classes and worked for a few years in the entertainment industry as an actor and model, but left that career behind when she became a mother.&nbsp;

“I had a manager, had an agent. I was going on auditions for movies and TV shows,” she says. “But being a mom was equally important to me and once I had my daughter, I knew I had to give it my all.”&nbsp;

Meeks applied to work at Starbucks three years ago because she wanted to make enough money to take her eldest daughter to the 2020 Summer Olympics in Japan, a bucket list adventure that’s been put off by the pandemic.&nbsp;

At first, adjusting from being a stay-at-home mom to being managed by an 18-year-old shift supervisor was “very humbling,” she says. But she soon found out about SCAP from another store partner who she worked early-morning shifts with. Buoyed by his enthusiasm – he was almost done with his own SCAP degree – the opportunity for higher education while getting her tuition covered was a no-brainer, she says.&nbsp;

Starbucks offers the benefit without requiring employees to work for the company afterwards, or to study something specific. Meeks, who enjoys working with people and hopes to find a job in human resources, credits her children’s father for giving her “a great amount of support at home” so she could pursue schooling.&nbsp;

Recently, Meeks, who is African American, and two other moms helped establish a committee that works with the local school district and some school board members, advocating for a more diverse teaching staff that better reflects the student body, a more inclusive curriculum and more awareness in matters of social justice.&nbsp;

“I want my children to see themselves and their heritage positively reflected early in their educational career,” she says. Her children are half Mexican American.&nbsp;

Specifically, she wants local schools to expand Black history beyond what seems to her like the same two examples year after year – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks. Why not also study the many other examples of Black excellence, she asks? Amidst the current social unrest following the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, Meeks is encouraged by more people in her community speaking up about similar things.

And, she hopes through this journey, she might find her own voice.&nbsp;

“There were times when I’d be at committee meetings with the school board and the superintendent, and I would start suffering the feelings of imposter syndrome,” Meeks says. “The other moms, they have master’s degrees, and a small part of me would shrink behind my friends when it came to speaking. Even though I know I’m more than capable, that self-doubt would creep in. That’s another motivating factor with this degree. I hope it will give me a little more confidence.

“Back in my 20s, once something got hard for me, or the moment I felt uncomfortable, I would immediately find a reason to quit,” she says. “Getting this degree, I decided I won’t let anything stand in the way of this. I refuse to stop until I get to that end goal. I don’t care how old I am. I am so glad that I’ve gone back to school and done something for myself and persisted.”&nbsp;

Doing good by degrees: How 3 partners are making an impact through Starbucks College Achievement Plan - Starbucks Stories

Doing good by degrees: How 3 partners are making an impact through Starbucks College Achievement Plan

These Starbucks partners (employees) are going back to school to make an impact in their communities.

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This page shows data from our 2019 Report. For the most up-to-date goals and progress, see our <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2022/starbucks-global-environmental-and-social-impact-report-2021/">2021 Global Environmental &amp; Social Impact Report</a>.

Since our founding, Starbucks has a long legacy of putting our partners first and creating a culture where everyone is welcome. In 2019, we published a <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/uploads/2019/01/Covington-Report-to-Starbucks-Jan-23-2019.pdf">Civil Rights Assessment</a> in which Covington &amp; Burling LLP evaluated our ongoing efforts related to diversity, equity and inclusion and how they support our mission and values. We <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2020/an-update-on-starbucks-civil-rights-assessment/">continue to track</a> annually against this assessment, reviewing its recommendations as we plan. Our equity and inclusion activity is updated regularly <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2019/starbucks-equity-and-inclusion-timeline/">here</a>.

Among partners, our approach is to create meaningful opportunities by investing in their health, well-being, and overall success, all while working to advance a culture of equity and inclusion. This means ensuring that leadership demonstrates commitment and accountability to inclusion and diversity. It means building collective understanding among all partners, and cultivating a more inclusive workplace, where partners feel valued and a sense of belonging. It means building and sustaining a highly engaged, high-performing, and diverse workforce at all levels. And it means ensuring equal opportunity, pay equity, and proactive workplace resolutions.

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3,200+ diplomas with 14,000+ participants

Goal: Graduate 25,000 Starbucks partners from Arizona State University (ASU) by the end of 2025 Starbucks College Achievement Plan is helping partners complete their education through Arizona State University (ASU) online. We are proud to continue to lead in this area, providing 100% tuition reimbursement to partners that work an average of 20 hours a week or more. As of June 2020, more than <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2020/starbucks-celebrates-our-college-graduates/">4,500 partners</a> have earned first-time bachelor’s degrees since the program was announced in 2014.

We also continue to expand the <a href="https://www.starbucksglobalacademy.com/#/default">Starbucks Global Academy</a>, a globally accessible platform created in partnership with ASU for Starbucks partners as well as customers, community members, and learners around the world that delivers world-class learning content and eliminates barriers to high quality education.

New U.S. and Canada mental health initiative and family support benefits

Goal: Continued leadership in innovative, relevant benefits for full- and part-time retail employees Starbucks continues to pioneer <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/uploads/2020/03/Infographic-Starbucks-Benefits-March-2020.pdf">innovative benefits</a> for our full- and part-time partners in the U.S., and internationally, we continue to customize our compensation packages to remain competitive and responsive to partner feedback.

The new <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2020/starbucks-commitment-to-partners-mental-health/">mental health initiative</a> announced to U.S. and Canadian partners in FY19, with further rollout in early FY20, includes efforts to break the stigma around mental health needs, connect partners to quality care that meet their specific needs, and provide ongoing training to 12,000 store managers and field leaders. In FY19 we also announced new reimbursement for uncovered surrogacy and intrauterine insemination in the U.S. and Canada.

100% pay equity in the U.S.; 100% gender equity in pay in Canada and China

Goal: 100% global gender pay equity in U.S. and company-owned markets Our pay equity achievements to date were reached in FY18 and maintained with continued rigor in FY19. We continue to work toward <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2018/starbucks-commitment-to-gender-racial-pay-equity/">global pay equity</a>. In 2019 the median pay for women globally was 98.3% of the median for men, while in the U.S., the median pay ratio was 100% for women and 100% for people of color.

In the U.S., Starbucks and 25 other U.S. employers in the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.employersforpayequity.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Employers for Pay Equity</a>&nbsp;consortium agreed in 2019 to work with a shared set of <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2019/25-companies-join-starbucks-to-end-u-s-gender-pay-gap/">Pay Equity Principles</a>. We have established U.S. best practices supporting these principles. Going forward we will establish global best practices as well.

42% women in senior leadership; 17% people of color in senior leadership

Goal: At the senior leadership level, 50% women and a 50% increase in representation by people of color since 2015 In addition to our goals related to staff leaders, our board is currently comprised of 38% women, four of whom are members of minority groups. Starbucks first Global Chief Inclusion &amp; Diversity Officer, Nzinga Shaw, was hired in November 2019. In an&nbsp;<a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/uploads/2020/02/Starbucks-Civil-Rights-Assessment-2020-Update.pdf">Update to Starbucks Civil Rights Assessment</a>&nbsp;the company has set new representation goals for the first time across all roles, including, at minimum, a goal of 40% people of color and 55% women in all retail roles, and 50% women and 30% people of color for all enterprise roles, by 2025.

More than 175,000 participating in anti-bias training since 2018

Goal: Cultivation of inclusion and diversity awareness Following Starbucks <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/uploads/2019/01/Covington-Report-to-Starbucks-Jan-23-2019.pdf">Civil Rights Assessment</a> in January of 2019, we have implemented several recommendations and continue to review them as we plan. In FY19, we published principles on <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2019/starbucks-principles-for-upholding-the-third-place-for-our-partners-our-customers-and-our-communities/">upholding the third place</a> and rolled out new resources for partners including&nbsp;<a href="https://tobewelcoming.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">To Be Welcoming</a>, a 15-course online curriculum designed to address bias through understanding the human experience; the course is also available to customers.

Goal: Hire 100,000 Opportunity Youth by the end of 2020 These <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2017/starbucks-hiring-initiatives/">hiring commitments</a> are intended to welcome new partners from communities that may experience barriers to employment. The FY19 status for Opportunity Youth is a decrease from the FY18 status due to an identified technical error.

Nearly 28,000 veterans and military spouses hired

Goal: Hire 25,000 veterans and military spouses by 2025 We met our military hiring goal <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2019/meet-some-of-the-25000-veterans-and-military-spouses-starbucks-has-hired/">six years early</a>, with a new goal set to hire 5,000 veterans and military spouses annually. More detail on our military commitment is <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2019/starbucks-military-commitment/">here</a>.

Goal: Hire 10,000 refugees globally by 2022 We continue to collaborate with other employers to share best practices and build partnerships with refugee-serving organizations. Starbucks EMEA has hired refugees in 12 countries across the region in partnership with local non-governmental organizations.

$7.5 billion spent with diverse suppliers since 2000

Goal: Stimulate economic development in the communities Starbucks serves while delivering high-quality products and services Starbucks Supplier Diversity and Inclusion program&nbsp;drives inclusion of&nbsp;qualified women-, minority-, people with disabilities-, veteran-,&nbsp;LGBTQ-&nbsp;and small (8(a) and HUBZone)-owned suppliers&nbsp;throughout our supply chain. To continue these efforts, we will focus on suppliers of all sizes and will include mentorship components to assist suppliers in developing to a point where they can succeed as a Starbucks supplier.

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2019 Report: Creating Meaningful Opportunities - Starbucks Stories

2019 Report: Creating Meaningful Opportunities

Starbucks 2019 Global Social Impact Report: Creating Meaningful Opportunities goals and progress.

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This May, nearly 700 Starbucks partners will graduate with a degree from Arizona State University through the Starbucks College Achievement Plan, which covers 100 percent tuition for eligible partners attending ASU’s online program.

That makes nearly 4,500 total Starbucks partners who have earned first-time bachelor’s degrees since the program was announced in 2014. This is the largest graduating cohort in SCAP history. More than 14,000 partners across the U.S. are currently working towards a degree through SCAP, with more than 80 undergraduate degree options. And more than more than 20 percent of those are first-generation college students.

“This is an unprecedented time,” said Mary Dixon, SCAP director. “While this may look different than our graduates imagined the moment to be, it is still their moment. They’ve earned this. They’ve pushed boundaries and found a way here through many challenging moments. They’ve shown resilience, tenacity and an abundance of creativity to get to this milestone. As we all chart a way forward, I am hopeful because of the courage and determination they all have shown to get to this moment.”

Read on to meet three of this spring’s graduates.

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Celebrating graduates of Starbucks College Achievement Plan - Starbucks Stories

Celebrating graduates of Starbucks College Achievement Plan

This May, nearly 700 Starbucks partners will graduate with a degree from Arizona State University through the Starbucks College Achievement Plan.

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Amanda Dasher’s father is one of 10 siblings. None of them have a bachelor’s degree from a four-year college or university. Her mother is one of five siblings. None of them have one either.

When Amanda graduates in May with a degree in organizational leadership from Arizona State University – as part of the latest cohort of graduates with the Starbucks College Achievement Plan (SCAP) – it won’t be just her celebrating, it’ll be her entire extended family.

“They’re all cheering me on,” Amanda says. “My degree means the world to me and will be one of the biggest accomplishments I have ever received.”

Amanda grew up in Santa Fe, N.M. Her father was in the Navy. While she was a strong student, she never felt any expectation to attend a four-year school after graduating high school. She didn’t receive much guidance either, in terms of taking standardized tests or filling out college applications and financial-aid forms.

She worked at a restaurant in New Mexico and took classes on-again off-again at a local community college, taking about 10 years to get an associate degree in business.

In 2014, Starbucks first introduced SCAP – which covers 100 percent tuition toward a first-time bachelor’s degree through ASU’s online program. Amanda jumped on the offer soon after. Of the approximately 14,000 U.S. Starbucks partners taking advantage of the SCAP benefit, more than 20 percent, like Amanda, are first-generation college attendees.

She ran into a big roadblock that first year, though. She had just been promoted to store manager in Albuquerque, N.M., and had difficulty juggling classes with running her store full time. She ended up failing three classes and faced academic probation.&nbsp;

“I never expected that to happen,” Amanda says. “I didn’t think I’d be finishing. This was not a proud moment for me, and I knew I had to turn it around.”

But then she found out that she was pregnant with a boy. In 2017, when Mason was born, Amanda had a new motivation: making sure that her son would be proud of his mother, and making sure that he’d grow up with two parents who had college degrees. Her husband, Brandon, also a Starbucks partner, also took advantage of the SCAP benefit and received his degree in 2017. He now works at the Starbucks Support Center (SSC) in Seattle at the Partner Contact Center while she manages a store in Snoqualmie, Wash.

Amanda, 32, hopes to use her degree and continue advancing within Starbucks, maybe applying for a store support role at the SSC, or trying to become a district manager.

She’s also been an evangelist for the SCAP benefit in her stores, talking it up to partners, especially the ones who might need financial help to go to school. She’ll celebrate with one of her shift supervisors, who’s also graduating this May, and three other partners she’s close with are also taking advantage of SCAP.

Amanda was planning to go back to Santa Fe to celebrate with her extended family, but COVID-19 lockdown measures have squelched those plans. She hopes to visit her family when travel restrictions loosen. Her relatives are ready to see her.

“Inside I knew she had it in her, she is a strong individual like that,” says Amanda’s aunt and godmother, Brenda Montoya, of Santa Fe. “The way Amanda was, she just wanted to do it on her own. She just kept at it. It takes a lot of self-discipline.” &nbsp;

Amanda’s honor cords – a recognition of her high GPA – came in the mail recently. Thinking back to the classes she failed when she first started at ASU, she can’t help but be amazed.

“Sometimes, I want to not feel proud of it because it took me so long to get here,” she says. “But it feels great knowing I got it done and I didn’t quit when it got rough.”

‘They are all cheering me on’: Amanda Dasher is first in her family to earn college degree - Starbucks Stories

‘They are all cheering me on’: Amanda Dasher is first in her family to earn college degree

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About once a week during the summers, when she was a kid growing up in Appleton, Wisc., Sarah Barr’s dad would take her and her two brothers out to the farm fields next to their house. They’d go looking for Native American arrowheads.

They’d stop at the gas station first and load up on snacks – hot dogs and chocolate milk. Then the three kids would follow dad around, spending the day walking the rows of corn, peering hard into the dirt.

“I loved to find the arrowheads in his footprints,” Sarah recalls. “The ones he had missed and stepped right over, I would pick up and make fun of him for not seeing them the first time.”

When Sarah graduates in May with a Bachelor of Science degree in Sustainability from Arizona State University – part of the latest cohort to take advantage of the Starbucks College Achievement Plan (SCAP) benefit – it won’t be just a story of resilience: how she gave college another shot and finished 10 years after her first try.

For Sarah, 28, a Starbucks shift supervisor in Wausau, Wisc., the degree is also a tribute to her late father Clark, who inspired her to love and care for the outdoors and its natural resources.

“Some of my favorite memories were being outside with him,” Sarah says. “I’ve always been the most at peace when I’m outside. I know that he would be absolutely thrilled that my dream is finally coming true.”

She hopes to eventually find a job where she feels like she’s “interacting with other people who have the same mindset and the same sustainability goals.” She wants to preserve natural lands and resources for future generations.

Sarah started at Starbucks about five years ago, a couple weeks after her father died of natural causes in his sleep, and discovered SCAP soon after. Starbucks offers 100 percent tuition coverage towards a first-time bachelor’s degree from ASU’s online program for any benefits-eligible partner.

Ten years ago, when Sarah went to college the first time, she studied criminal justice hoping to be a police officer. After a semester, she knew she couldn’t afford any more. When her dad picked her up from college, she remembers him saying during the drive home, “I don’t know why my kids don’t get to go to school.”

“He really felt like maybe he didn’t do enough because he didn’t have the money to send us,” Sarah recalls. Clark painted commercial buildings and houses. &nbsp;

Sarah is married to a veteran, Stan, a communications specialist who medically retired from the Marines after almost four years of service. Since, due to COVID-19, ASU’s traditional graduation ceremony is postponed, he’s promised to build her a stage at home so she can “walk” an at-home graduation ceremony. She’ll watch the virtual ceremony put on by ASU and send the link to her mother and grandparents, so they can celebrate with her, her husband and their three cats – Monster, Terror and Beast.

“I always kind of feel like he’s around somewhere,” Sarah says. “When he passed away, it was the middle of the summer, and there were monarch butterflies flying around everywhere. They come back (every year) when the snow goes away. Every time I see a monarch butterfly, I’m reminded of him. He’s maybe one of those butterflies, coming to check in on me and just giving me a peaceful moment where I’m relaxed and can feel like everything’s OK.”

Full circle: Partner’s SCAP degree in sustainability is part of her dad’s legacy - Starbucks Stories

Full circle: Partner’s SCAP degree in sustainability is part of her dad’s legacy

Sarah Barr’s dad inspired her to love and care for the outdoors. Five years after his death, she’s graduating with a degree in sustainability and wants to help preserve resources for future generations.

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When Samuel Choo was a senior in high school, his mother became sick from cancer. At school, he threw himself hard into every activity he could find – student council president, honor society president, drum major. At home, he struggled.

His father, an ex-Army drill instructor, “would get angry with me if I was showing signs of weakness or sadness; he didn’t want me to make my mom sad,” Samuel remembers.

Samuel, an only child, says he put “a veil of secrecy” over his anxiety: “a happy face to support my mom and not make my dad mad.”

When she died a few months after graduation, Samuel’s mental health deteriorated. Some days, he couldn’t get out of bed because of depression. Other times, when he was driving, he was overtaken with so much sadness and panic, he couldn’t fully grip the wheel and had to pull over and wait until his emotions subsided. He’d been admitted into Baylor University but withdrew without finishing his first semester.

Recently, Samuel, now 29, reflected on his past from his home in the Dallas area, where he works as a Starbucks shift supervisor. In a few days, he’s set to graduate from Arizona State University as a member of the Dean’s List. The journey to his liberal arts degree has taken about 10 years – one class a semester while working full time and focusing on his mental health.

“I can definitely say I’ve done my best, even though the path was bumpy for sure along the way,” Samuel says. “I took it in stride and made it to the finish line. I’m really proud of the experience I’ve gained through the process.”

Born in Seattle, Samuel moved with his parents to the Dallas area when he was 11 years old. His parents managed a restaurant together. His father, Roger, is a Korean immigrant who’d retired from the U.S. military. His mother, Debbie, who was white, was originally from West Virginia.

Samuel moved out of the house after coming back from Baylor and started working at Teavana, while taking classes at a community college. Starbucks acquired the tea company in 2012, and as Samuel transitioned to Starbucks, he found out about the Starbucks College Achievement Plan shortly after. The benefit covers 100 percent of the tuition toward a first-time bachelor’s degree through ASU’s online program. He took advantage of the company’s <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2020/starbucks-commitment-to-partners-mental-health/">mental-health benefits</a> too, including free counseling sessions.

When the right opportunity comes, Samuel wants to focus his career on helping entrepreneurs and small businesses develop their organizational culture and create stronger customer connections, subjects he’s not only studying at ASU but also on the job as a Starbucks partner. In fact, Samuel feels he has an advantage over some who go the traditional four-year route right out of high school. “I have my 10 years of workforce experience,” he says.

He’s also come full circle with his father, who embraced therapy to deal with his own struggles with post-traumatic stress. &nbsp;

“Seeing him so sensitive now and not so afraid of his own emotions, I’m really proud of him,” Samuel says. “And us being able to share our stories in a way that we weren’t able to when mom was sick and right after she passed … I never got to know mom as an adult. So now that he’s more open mentally and emotionally, I’m able to reconnect to my mom through him which has been really cool.”

Samuel hopes it’s safe enough by December to travel to ASU’s Fall commencement ceremony in Tempe, Ariz., when ASU will offer current spring grads a chance to walk the stage with the rest of the Class of 2020. For now, he’ll bake a cake and watch the virtual celebration with his boyfriend and his dogs.

“This journey has helped me learn who I am and who I want to become,” Samuel says. “I’m now able to act in my life and make decisions that I want to, instead of just reacting to what life is throwing at me.”

SCAP graduate’s college experience ‘helped me learn who I am’ - Starbucks Stories

SCAP graduate’s college experience ‘helped me learn who I am’

After living through the grief of his mother’s death and his own deep depression, Samuel Choo set his sights on earning a college degree while focusing on his mental health and working.

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It may just be a piece of paper. But for many, a college degree can feel like an impossible dream. 

Five years ago, Starbucks announced the<a> </a><a href="https://www.starbucks.com/careers/working-at-starbucks/education">Starbucks College Achievement Plan</a> — a groundbreaking new effort to help partners attain a first-time bachelor’s degree through Arizona State University’s online program. Today, more than 13,000 partners are participating and more than 3,000 have graduated from the college plan with 100 percent tuition coverage. To mark this milestone, we caught up with graduates to learn where their diplomas have taken them.

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Starbucks was Robin Bondy’s first job. When she put on the green apron as a 17-year-old barista in 2012, “I knew chances are I would not be working there for long. It would get me through high school and maybe part of college,” Bondy said. 

But her Starbucks store became a home, and fellow partners like family. She went on to attend community college and a university but struggled to finish a degree, changing her major twice. In January 2016, she decided to enroll in the Starbucks College Achievement Plan and put herself on a new path toward a degree. Before she started ASU classes, her mom learned she had stage 4 lung cancer.

“When we found out she had lung cancer, we knew she was going in for the biggest fight ever,” she said. “My dad and I decided we're going to take on a challenge too. She said, ‘Why don't you promise me you graduate from college?’”

Her mom died just two months later, and Bondy began her journey that fall at ASU. She continued working at Starbucks and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in technological entrepreneurship and management from ASU in 2018. Her fellow partners encouraged her along the way. “They have been there for different phases of my life; whether it was times of celebration or challenges I was overcoming,” she said.

After six years at Starbucks, Bondy now works as a research technician for proton therapy cancer treatment for a local medical center. She still stays in contact with her friends from Starbucks though. “They're just so excited to see how my life has changed in such a positive direction,” she said.

For her, the ASU degree holds special significance.

“The degree’s more than a piece of paper with my name on it. The degree represents a promise to my mom.”

‘Doors are wide open now’

Robert Lamb joined Starbucks as an assistant store manager after several years of retail management. Lamb had earned more than 100 college credits between 2005 and 2010 but had fallen short of earning a diploma. On his first day in October 2017, his district manager introduced him to the Starbucks College Achievement Plan. By his third day, his regional director was challenging him to finish his degree.

Within a few months, Lamb was promoted to manager of the <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2017/new-starbucks-store-east-baltimore/">East Baltimore Community Store</a>, one of over a dozen Starbucks stores in underserved economic areas that aim to strengthen local economies by creating jobs and engaging with nonprofits that support young people. He also enrolled at ASU in the liberal studies program, which he says helped him make authentic connections with people in the community.

“You know we’re just one really large family here in Baltimore,” he said. “Going through the Starbucks College Achievement Plan has influenced how I take care of myself as an individual and also just as being a leader and connecting to your community.”

In April 2019, nearly 15 years after he first stepped onto a college campus, Lamb earned his bachelor’s degree. Over the summer, he completed a three-month assignment at Starbucks headquarters in Seattle, managing the summer internship program and developing a project plan for the winter program. He also joined the advisory board for The Choice Program at the University of Maryland Baltimore County, which helps young people gain instruction and professional experience for personal and career development. Now back as a store manager in Baltimore, he’s looking forward to the next chapter.

“I can honestly say that I now have the foundational tools that will last myself and family a lifetime. I’ve been able to have a second opportunity to go back and finish something that was so important to myself and my family,” he said. “Doors are wide open now.”

When Julissa McWashington’s daughters, Yasmin and Ava, were born, she started saving for their college fund. With every paycheck, she’d tuck some money away. She had gone to four different colleges and universities in spurts but could not find a way to finish her degree. 

“My parents are both from Honduras, they never experienced school in the United States,” McWashington said. “Going to college seemed like something unreachable, and I wanted to be able to create a different way for my kids.”

McWashington joined Starbucks in August of 2010 as an administrative assistant. “I have always been ambitious and a go-getter but not having my degree always was that dark cloud hanging over me. I remember not applying for certain roles because I felt less than without my degree,” she said.&nbsp; 

When the plan was announced in 2014, McWashington realized this was her chance to go to college and still continue to save for her kids. 

“I remember when it was unveiled,” she said. “I felt like this was — for the first time — this was my moment.” &nbsp;

McWashington earned her degree from ASU in organizational leadership last year and is leading the Community Stores program on the Starbucks Global Social Impact team and is a board member at Wellspring Family Services for low-income families and an after-school program called After-School All Stars. Her oldest daughter, who is now 18, is now a freshman in college.

“For me, it's always been [about] trying to change the narrative of who I should be,” she said. “Seeing them grow up, I wanted them to have that moment of going to college, but I knew they had to have the example.”

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