Growing up in Birmingham, twins Davon and Javon Young had every intention of getting a college degree. But they didn’t know exactly how.
They spent most of their childhood in their grandmother’s home, a household overflowing with cousins and love – but not with adults who had attended college or who could afford a double dose of tuition.
They were fortunate that Parker High School’s graduates in 2020 were among the first class to benefit from a new program called Birmingham Promise, which offers college tuition to all graduates of Birmingham City Schools.
“That was the first blessing,” said Javon, who is finishing his last semester at Alabama A&M University and hopes to become a life coach.
But tuition was not the only investment Birmingham Promise made in the twins’ college journey. Javon and Davon credit Birmingham Promise with helping them not only pay for college but also navigate many bumps along the way.
Davon, who will graduate from A&M in May and hopes to become a therapist, said knowing that tuition was covered lightened the load, but the ongoing guidance may have made an even bigger difference. “The success coaches had multiple meetings to keep us on track,” Davon said. “It helped develop us and push us beyond being worried about finances. You can’t even ask for anything better than that.”
While they’re now in their last months of completing degrees in psychology, they’ve at times had to juggle classes and work, navigate multiple living arrangements, and learn how to be on their own, even as they crystallized their plans for the future. Through it all, their success coach was a steadying force.
“It’s amazing how fast life hits you,” Javon said. “You are away from home, dealing with all that stuff you can’t control. It’s just a little more reassurance that somebody’s got my back.”
The twins also had an internal drive to succeed. Their dreams of college started as early as kindergarten, and those thoughts were reinforced by the life experiences they saw around them. They watched classmates who didn’t even consider going to college or learning a trade, and they didn’t like where it led.
“I just looked and said, ‘What everyone else is doing is not working,’” Javon said, “so I’m going to go to college.”
And with help from Birmingham Promise, the brothers can now see a huge milestone on the horizon. After they finish at A&M, they both hope to go to graduate school. Davon already has what he hopes is a line on a job thanks to a career connection he made in an internship with the city of Huntsville.
Both of the twins already have worked as volunteers in conflict resolution in schools and other settings. Though it’s not paid, it is valuable experience and it is a way of paying it forward, too.
“We’re not really into it for the funds,” Javon said. “It’s about helping the community.”
The twins’ only regret is that programs like Birmingham Promise aren’t available for students everywhere, especially those from minority communities who face multiple barriers to higher education.
They feel bad for college friends at A&M who received scholarships that provided only financial resources but not coaching like Birmingham Promise. When Javon has the opportunity, he tells young Birmingham City Schools students that Birmingham Promise is special and to take advantage of the opportunities it provides.
“I don’t know how we can make it bigger or better,” he said, “but it’s a blessing for anyone.”
