By Dwayne Coleman | www.uab.edu
The Birmingham Promise program continues to make a significant impact by providing local students with valuable work experience and educational pathways. Kendall Petties, a Ramsay High School student, recently joined UAB’s HR Talent Acquisition team, bringing enthusiasm and fresh perspectives to her fall internship opportunity.
“Kendall brought a lot of enthusiasm to the group,” said UAB HR Talent Acquisition manager Oscar Hunter. “She is committed and creative, always asking for more ways to make a positive impact.” Even though Petties is still in high school, “she brings us real-world experience,” Hunter explained. “We asked Kendall to help us understand today’s youth, from where they want to go to what they want to do next with higher education and in the workplace.”
Petties’ role involved providing insights into how young people look for jobs and what they seek in employment opportunities, Hunter said. “We asked her these questions: How do young people prefer to find jobs? Do they gravitate to searching QR codes or cell phones? Kendall gives us valuable perspectives on how younger people think and what they want in a job opportunity.”
Reflecting on her experience, Petties shared, “My biggest win is my experience of being able to work in a corporate office, because a lot of people my age don’t get that experience, and they do not have the knowledge or opportunity.” Working with UAB’s Human Resources team “has influenced my career aspirations by showing me that I want to work in a fast-moving environment,” Petties said.
Career Destination
The Birmingham Promise/UAB HR Talent Acquisition alliance supports each entity’s impact on the community, Hunter notes. Local high school students get real work experience and a paid internship. UAB gets to showcase its role as a community partner and, ultimately, a career destination for the best and the brightest.
“Programs like Birmingham Promise are vital in shaping the future of our communities,” Hunter said. “They help bridge the gap between education and employment, providing students with the skills and experiences necessary to thrive in their careers.”
As Petties finishes her internship, UAB Human Resources acknowledges her significant contributions, and the positive impact of the Birmingham Promise Program. The experience has benefited her and reinforced UAB’s mission to support and prepare students for future success, Hunter says.
“Watching Kendall grow and develop professionally has been a pleasure,” Hunter said. “We have no doubt that she has a bright future ahead of her.”
The partnership between UAB and Birmingham Promise exemplifies a shared commitment to fostering talent and creating opportunities for the next generation. UAB was the first academic partner to support the Birmingham Promise scholarship in providing a one-to-one tuition scholarship match to students admitted to UAB as first-time, full-time freshmen in the academic year following high school graduation from a Birmingham City School. Another aspect of Birmingham Promise is its internship program, which allows Birmingham City Schools seniors to earn $15 an hour while getting job experience and building professional networks.
By connecting Birmingham City Schools students with workforce experience as well as post-secondary opportunities, the program aims to enhance students’ economic mobility.
As UAB continues to Forge Ahead through its strategic plan, such collaborations remain integral to the university’s vision of making a lasting, positive impact on the local and global community.
Sarah Granderson
Another student benefitting from the program is Sarah Granderson, who graduated from Ramsay High School in 2021 and is now a senior at Jacksonville State University, Birmingham Promise is more than a program. “It’s a path to economic opportunity that can truly change lives,” she said.
Through Promise scholarships, Granderson has been able to work toward her degree in political science and sociology without needing student loans. She also continues to benefit from her time as an intern at Oakworth Capital Bank, where she met people who continue to serve as mentors and role models. “To this day, I stay in touch,” she said.
Granderson last month attended a gathering as the program celebrated its fifth anniversary helping city students with scholarships and internships.
Since its creation in 2019, Birmingham Promise has provided college scholarships totaling $11 million to 1,636 graduates of Birmingham City Schools. It has also facilitated paid internships for more than 300 high-school students in the Birmingham system.
Promise Executive Director Samantha Williams said almost all students who benefit from Birmingham Promise are people of color, and many come from poor homes where parents did not attend college — all factors that can create roadblocks to higher education and career opportunities. “They are surmountable,” she said, “with help.”
Already, Birmingham Promise has seen growth in the number of freshman college students who return the next fall — a key indicator of how many of them will ultimately complete a degree. The percentage of freshmen returning for the sophomore year grew from 66 percent in 2021 to 74 percent in 2023, she said.
Carver alum Damiuna Dawson said she graduated from UAB in four years with no debt thanks to Birmingham Promise, and is now pursuing a master’s degree in social work at Alabama A&M. But one of the things that excites her most is that her college journey has inspired an older sibling and even Dawson’s mother to pursue additional education.
In accepting the Promise Keeper Award from Birmingham Promise board chair Danny McKinney, Regions executive Leroy Abrahams spoke about more ripple effects that will come from Birmingham Promise.
“It’s so powerful to think of what comes from this,” said Abrahams, who is on the Birmingham Promise board and served as chairman for most of its history.
He recalled being the first member of his family to receive a four-year college degree and said he realized at a recent gathering with his adult children that he was “the least-educated person in the family.”
“This is generational impact,” he added.
While it will take time to reap the full rewards, he urged supporters to be patient and keep investing in Birmingham Promise. “The cost of ignorance,” he said, “is a lot higher than the price of an education.”
For more information on Birmingham Promise, visit http://www.birminghampromise.org/.
Learn more about Birmingham Promise scholarship requirements and eligibility at UAB.
