Stacie Person knows all too well what it’s like to graduate from college in debt, with a degree that doesn’t provide the opportunities you expect, in a field you end up having to abandon.
Ms. Person saw the same story — spending years paying off loans for a college degree — play out in the lives of her friends, family, and even her own. It was not a story she wanted to see repeated in the life of her only child, Elise Robinson. “For me, my biggest thing is now that I’m 39, I can reflect on things and opportunities I wish I had,” Ms. Person said. “Not just what I want for my kid, but for all kids.”
Thanks to Birmingham Promise, Ms. Person sees a different kind of future unfolding for Elise and her friends from Birmingham City Schools. In 2024, two decades after Ms. Person graduated from Faulkner University with a degree in criminal justice, Elise graduated from Ramsay High School with a promise of four years of college, tuition-free.
With ongoing help from Birmingham Promise, Elise is wrapping up her sophomore year at the University of Alabama, where she is majoring in psychology and minoring in human development and family studies. It’s a big switch from Elise’s initial plans of studying architectural engineering – but it’s also in line with her true passions and what her mother believes will lead to a more fulfilling life.
“It made me proud. I have recently come to believe that it’s a mistake to start out chasing the dollar. If you do what you love, the money will come,” she said. “Elise has always loved children. She is phenomenal with kids. It was not a shock to me to see her change majors to something more fulfilling and something more in line with her as a person.”
The switch also aligns with the career experience Elise received as part of the Birmingham Promise paid internship program. The semesters she spent as an intern at the Birmingham Board of Education gave her a first-hand glimpse of careers dedicated to children. Elise, who worked at Girls Inc. and participated in its Project Accelerate Program, brought those work experiences, mentors and values into her college and career paths. She is now engaging in opportunities for a career in child development.
To Ms. Person, Birmingham Promise is a key reason Elise has the flexibility to pursue her passion and purpose without the heavy financial burden of paying for school. “She can do this because she won’t have that debt to carry on,” Ms. Person said. “She is getting an opportunity to chase what she is called to do.”
Ms. Person speaks from experience.
For 15 years, she worked outside her degree field as an insurance claims adjuster, a job that paid well and provided financial stability. But as her multiple sclerosis symptoms worsened, she realized she was unfulfilled and unhappy in the space that she was in. She resigned and took time off from working to rediscover what she truly desired to do. Ms. Person is now working as a coordinator at a nonprofit in west Birmingham focused on community development.
Although the pay is less, the personal payoff is greater. She now feels fulfilled and purposeful from being able to make a difference. “I’m at peace,” she said.
Ms. Person is truly grateful for how Birmingham Promise has filled in the financial gap and provided professional development opportunities for Elise.
What more could a mother want? Elise is well on her way.
“My hope is that she graduates from school debt-free and that she lands a job where she has fulfillment,” Ms. Person said. “It’s not about what you have. It’s about being a well-rounded human on this earth.”
