Update: Angel Pine is now Communications Coordinator for the UAB Department of Pediatrics. Way to go! 

After a rocky start at college, Angel Pine recognized that Birmingham Promise was offering her the gift of a lifetime, and she set her mind to make the most of it.

She graduated from UAB in May with a communication degree and a foundation for her dream career in public relations. Better yet, she graduated from college just four years after she walked the stage as part of the Ramsay High School Class of 2021.

The “on-time” finish is especially remarkable considering Angel’s freshman year. Starting out, she didn’t take placement tests and ended up in remedial classes that didn’t count toward a degree. And she wrestled with other issues that threatened to throw her off course.

“I wasn’t taking it as seriously as I was supposed to,” she said. “I wasn’t able to focus. I wasn’t confident in my studying skills; I was doubting myself. I was in a friend group that was not benefiting me. I didn’t really want to do what I needed to do.”

By the time she finished that year, she had made little progress toward a college degree, and she seriously considered dropping out. But as she weighed her decision, she had a life-changing moment of clarity.

‘This is an opportunity’

“I’m getting a college education for free. Birmingham Promise is giving me four years for free,” she said. “Nobody else is going to pay for this. My parents can’t pay for this. This is an opportunity.”

So Angel got serious. Really serious. Although Birmingham Promise ultimately offered partial assistance for students who needed an extra semester or two to graduate, that hadn’t been decided. So Angel considered 2025 her deadline to earn a degree.

“I was, like, ‘I’ve got to get myself together,’” she said. “I was focused on graduating. I wanted it really, really bad.”

She mapped it out. To graduate on time and take full advantage of Birmingham Promise, she had to take six classes every semester. So that’s what she did. She maintained that load the rest of her college career, even while doing internships and working a part-time job.

Making the grade

Angel succeeded in a big way – consistently landing on the dean’s list and president’s list —  with tutoring help as needed, assistance from Birmingham Promise success coaches and mentoring from one of her UAB professors, Jacquelyn Shaia.

“She pushed me,” Angel said. “She made me realize I have so much potential. She helped me improve my writing skills and taught me how to be a young professional. She helped me understand the importance of networking and who you know and how they remember you. What you don’t get in a college classroom, she taught us.”

Angel had set her sights on a communication career as far back as middle school. But it was a concentration in public relations, she said, that “really made me realize what I want to do in life.”

She engaged in professional organizations such as the Public Relations Council of Alabama and the Public Relations Student Society of America. She worked on award-winning campaigns, including her capstone project for the Holy Family Cristo Rey Catholic High School.

Along the way, Angel developed storytelling, graphic and people skills, worked as a communications intern at Alabama Public Television and continues to work as an intern at the UAB Department of Neurosurgery.

Giving back to the community

Looking forward, she hopes to work in the nonprofit world where she can give back to the community – a goal that she has “solely because of Birmingham Promise.”

As she considers her journey, she has advice for other students in Birmingham City Schools, including her own brother, who is set to graduate from Ramsay in two years.

 “Going to college for free is a privilege everyone deserves, but as a Birmingham City Schools graduate, I know how truly blessed we are to have this opportunity through Birmingham Promise,” she said. “My advice to any student is simple: Don’t take this gift for granted — use it to build the future you dream of.”

While he was still in Ramsay High School, Jeremy Broner set his sights on a career in arts and animation. Now he is ready to achieve the dream, thanks to a recently completed college education — and help from Birmingham Promise.

Jeremy graduated in May from the University of South Alabama, with a bachelor of fine arts degree. He concentrated in animation, a promising field where jobs are expected to grow in the years ahead.

Although starting college in the midst of a pandemic brought challenges, one thing that he could scratch off his list of worries, thankfully, was tuition. That assistance made all the difference. “Honestly, I don’t believe I would have been able to get all the way through without Birmingham Promise,” Jeremy said.

A fifth-year blessing

Like many students, he needed five years to complete his degree. Birmingham Promise provided partial assistance for the extra year. While Jeremy had to take out a small loan to get through it, he said, “it would have been a lot worse if I didn’t have Birmingham Promise.”

“I don’t even want to think about the amount of student loan debt I would have had without it,” he said.

The extra year – while more costly than the others – ended up being a blessing. “I was able to polish up my abilities,” he said. “It gave me time to work on my demo reel that shows off my best work.  It gave me extra time to really lock in and create my thesis film.”

That film has been submitted to film festivals around the world, and Jeremy is looking for job opportunities in his dream career.

While he chose South Alabama specifically for its animation program, college helped him broaden his skills and versatility, allowing him to experiment with watercolor, oil paint and other mediums. “It really opened my eyes to what’s possible,” he said.

His hope is to work in 2D animation, an area that could lead to a variety of job opportunities, including roles at marketing agencies and software companies. But his dream is to work in film. He doesn’t crave a lot of fame, he said, but “a little bit would be kind of cool.”

‘Never give up’

Jeremy has a message for students just now crystallizing their dreams.

“Never give up despite what challenges you may face,” he said. “When you get through that challenge, you’ll be grateful for the people that you’ve met and the experiences that you’ve had. It will make you the person you become. It could also end up creating a new version of yourself that you never even fathomed.”

Update: Zykiria Carey is now a Health Information Specialist with Datavant through UAB Health System. Way to go! 

Zykiria Carey graduated from Wenonah High School in 2020 and Alabama State University in 2025. Thanks to Birmingham Promise, she achieved her college goal without having to sacrifice her financial future.

“I graduated from college debt-free,” she said. “That was the ultimate goal.”

Zykiria is now in the job market in her chosen field, health information management. She hopes to work in one of the major health systems and is applying for jobs at all levels in hopes of getting a foot in the door.

“I want to come back and work in the city of Birmingham,” she said.

Pandemic challenges

Like other students in the first Birmingham City Schools class to benefit from Birmingham Promise, her transition to college was complicated by COVID-19. Students switched between virtual and in-person classes, and she missed out on some of the traditional college supports.

Still, she had the benefit of Birmingham Promise coaches, and that helped her navigate that difficult time. She got off to a great start, pulling all A’s in her first semester and setting herself up for success.

Throughout college, though, Zykiria needed to work to cover out-of-pocket costs for books, summer courses and personal expenses. Her employment – primarily retail jobs – meant that she had to give up some of the activities that also enrich college life and help students lay a different kind of groundwork for success.

“I gave up extracurricular things,” she said.

One of the things she gave up was the marching band, which was one of the activities that drew her to Alabama State to start with. While she’d played clarinet in the high school band and the Magic City Classic parade had sold her on an HBCU, she said she had to focus on her main goal — getting a college degree.

“It took me five years to complete, but that’s OK,” she said. “A lot of us from that first class are graduating this year.”

She is particularly grateful that the Birmingham Promise offered an extension that included partial assistance for those needing extra time to graduate. “It wasn’t as much, but it did help to get through the last year,” she said. “They didn’t have to do that, and I want to thank them for that.”

A stable financial future

As someone who had to manage finances carefully throughout college, Zykiria looks forward to a future that she hopes includes more economic stability than she’s had in the past.

“Being the richest person isn’t my goal, but I don’t want to go on always feeling like I’m behind, like I’m living check to check,” she said. “I want to be financially stable and happy. I’m grateful that Birmingham Promise helped to make that future possible for me.”

Zykiria’s advice to other students is simple: Stay ahead of the game. Fill out the FAFSA early to make sure assistance is available. Put off the parties, go to class, study and don’t wait to the last minute to do your assignments. And take advantage of resources available from your college or from Birmingham Promise.

“Always do advising,” she said. “Always communicate with the (Birmingham Promise) student success coach as they can guide you through college.”