By Barnett Wright | The Birmingham Times
Paris Etheridge, a senior at Ramsay High School in Birmingham, wants a career in nursing and always figured she would have an internship at a medical facility in the area.
So, she had no idea how her life would change when she was brought on as an intern with Birmingham Promise, which provides up to four years of tuition assistance for graduates of city schools who attend public colleges and universities in Alabama.
“The people that work at [the Promise program] make sure they pour into us,” she said. “They make sure we have the tools and necessary things that we need in order to go to the next level. They make sure we are confident in what we do.”
Etheridge was at City Hall Wednesday when Birmingham Promise received a $10 million grant from PNC Foundation to promote postsecondary success for City of Birmingham school graduates, the largest grant of its kind since the Promise program was created in 2019.
The funding, payable over the next 10 years, will sustain the organization’s scholarship program and expand its work to prepare and support students for college success.
“This is an enormous day for Birmingham Promise,” said Samantha Williams, executive director. “It is uncommon for an organization to receive an investment that will last for a decade. This grant will support students who to go to college who today are in second grade.”
Nick Willis, PNC regional president for North & Central Alabama said the grant “… empowers young scholars to reach their maximum potential. It enriches our community by providing students with the chance to fulfill their dreams, along with the generational impact of graduating without a high burden of tuition debt.”
Etheridge who does admin work for the Promise program said she’s ecstatic to see it grow with corporate donations. “I work directly in the office so I see the work [being done in the] background …,” she said. “[And] I am out speaking at schools, working hand in hand with them.”
Damiuna Dawson, who attended G.W. Carver High School and will graduate from UAB on April 27 with a degree in social work and head to grad school, said, “Birmingham Promise has opened so many doors for me. I’ve had the opportunity to go semester by semester and not have to worry about how to pay for things, not having to worry about my mom stressed out about her expenses … this will impact so many young people where I come from …,”
The PNC Foundation grant will help:
- Sustain scholarships and the program’s success coaches, who work with students throughout their college years to overcome challenges and make the most of their postsecondary education.
- Expand the outreach and counseling it provides high-school students about their college and career plans, connecting them with the programs that best serve their needs.
- Launch an outreach program for middle-schoolers to make sure they are on the best path for college success before entering high school.
Mayor Randall Woodfin, whose administration led to the creation of the Promise program, said the PNC Foundation’s grant will not only allow individual students to fulfill their dreams but also will ensure the city’s future economic success.
“These students are the future workforce of our city,” Woodfin said. “By investing in them, we are creating a talent pipeline that will make our businesses more successful and our city economically strong.”
