A life’s journey can be shaped by a few forks in the road. Ennis Rhetta Jr. said his life took an important turn when he was accepted into Phillips Academy, one of Birmingham’s most challenging schools. There, Ennis found his passion in STEM studies, and it was reinforced after he was accepted to Ramsay IB High School. At Ramsay, he was selected for a mentorship program involving technical careers, where he shadowed architects and met project managers. By the time he graduated, he knew he wanted to be an engineer.

Ennis looked at several colleges, but he had his heart set on Auburn University – an option that was made possible by Birmingham Promise. Now in his junior year, Ennis sees Birmingham Promise as a key that not only allowed him to go to his choice of colleges, but also to get the full benefit of his time on campus.

Ennis grew up in a working-class family on Birmingham’s West Side. While an older sister  graduated from college, his parents did not. Ennis knows how much his parents sacrificed to give him opportunities they didn’t have, and he knows how much college costs. He recalls seeing bills from Auburn before Birmingham Promise aid was applied.  “You’re kind of overwhelmed about how much it really does cost to be here,” he said.

 He doesn’t want his parents to feel that weight on their shoulders.

“My parents always told me they wanted better for me. But I don’t want to have to ask them to take out a loan so that I can go to college. I don’t want them to ever even see a bill,” he said. “Without Birmingham Promise, they’d try to find a way.  But I would be making every decision based on what’s cost-effective, what makes the most sense, what can I do that would not create a burden.

“Knowing that Birmingham Promise has that cost covered, it allows me to experience college without the stress of what the cost is. You can perform better, and you’re able to do more and be more.”

In just one example, Ennis is participating in a co-op program with Brasfield & Gorrie, a giant Birmingham-based construction firm. The ongoing internship extends over three semesters, and while it’s providing invaluable experience, it’s a time commitment that will push back his college graduation date.

“Without Birmingham Promise, I don’t know that I would be able to afford to do that,” he said.

In addition to giving Ennis the freedom to soar, Birmingham Promise has also provided critical support at his lowest times.

“I don’t want to imply that I’ve passed every class with flying colors,” he said. “Those are the times when you need success coaches that tell you a failed class doesn’t mean you’re done. It doesn’t mean it’s over. College is a series of bumps and hurdles and challenges for you to overcome.”

Ennis said those cheerleaders can be the difference between starting college and actually getting a degree.

“I would tell students to believe in yourself but also believe in the people that’s believing in you. Because when life gets to you, and you start to worry and you start to doubt whether you’re where you need to be, you’ve got to have people around you who support you and who see your potential and who can help keep you on track to your goals,” he said. “That’s how you finish college. You think you can do college alone? You can’t.”

His parents taught him it takes a village to raise a child, and Ennis sees his experience with Birmingham Promise as an example of that. It also inspires him to rise to the challenge of helping the young people coming behind him.

Last year, Ennis joined a team of Birmingham Promise students from multiple campuses that put together an event called Stay Well/Stay Warm to talk to high school students about mental health and to distribute winter supplies for the community.  Pulling the event together, and seeing the impact, made a lasting impression.

“It was just an invaluable experience,” he said.

While he hopes to have his own children someday, and he hopes that they will have an easier path because of his college experience,  he also wants to do his part to ensure the  same opportunities for other people’s children.

“I’ll always be grateful to Birmingham Promise, and I’m going to do my best to give back in my capacity,” he said. “It means a lot to me to know there’s a constant wave of kids that are out there who maybe have a story similar to mine, and who can benefit from this program.”

For Madison Rembert, dreams of college were born and nurtured through the Magic City Classic. Watching the festivities around the country’s largest HBCU football game every year, Madison picked her team — Alabama State University – and dreamed of being a student there someday.

She had the grades for college. But having the money for college? That was a different story. Madison thought her involvement with the dance and flag team at Wenonah High School would be her ticket to a college degree. But as her high school career approached an end in 2023, she learned of a better path.

Birmingham Promise made it possible for Madison to work toward her dreams. She is now a junior at Alabama State, majoring in computer information systems and preparing for what she hopes is a career in cyber security.

“Without Birmingham Promise, I would have probably dropped out of college and gone home by now,” she said. “Tuition is high, and it keeps getting higher. I think at some point, it would have been too much.”

Going to college without going into debt is no small thing. But the program also provides Madison – a first-generation college student – much-needed shot of confidence that she has what she needs to complete her degree.

“For my family, there is only so much advice they can give me about how to make it through college. I hope to be that kind of role model for my little siblings. But for me, I had to break that barrier, and I had to go through it myself,” she said. “Birmingham Promise gives me that little hope that I can finish college.”

Her family and especially her mother offer great support, but she also gives plenty of credit to her Birmingham Promise success coach who also helps keep her on track.

“I have never had anyone who cared so much about my success, not even when I was in high school,” Madison said. “He has been just the most amazing person to me.”

That coach, Coach Glenn, checks in on her academic progress and her overall well-being. He encourages her to build on her strengths, like using her computer skills to get proficient in graphic design. And he finds opportunities for her to overcome weaknesses and fears, like public speaking.

Glenn also hosted meetings that put Madison in touch with other Birmingham Promise students at Alabama State, which provided welcome connections where she could get good college tips as well as emotional support.

“It helps just to talk to people who know what you’re going through,” she said. “As a junior, I’m now in a position to pay it forward, to help freshmen who are having problems with professors and advisors and classes.”

She encourages all students in Birmingham City Schools to apply for Birmingham Promise.

While there are other scholarships – and Madison applied for those, too – they came with higher hurdles like essays and videos. Birmingham Promise provides students a straightforward way to achieve their dreams, if they’re willing to do their part in the classroom.

 “For me, academic barriers were never the problem. My GPA is very high,” she said. “Birmingham Promise is life-changing. It’s a very easy outlet to get into. If anyone wants to see what it’s about, I would say look at me and see what it has done for me.”

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.”

As a 2022 graduate of Ramsay High School, Daniel Stanley was blessed with many options for college. He was offered band scholarships to several out-of-state historically black colleges. Just on the strength of his academic achievements, he was accepted at two of his other top choices, the University of Alabama and Georgia State.

He ruled out some options when he decided he did not want to devote so much of his college years to playing the trumpet. But when it came to Georgia State and Alabama, he had a dilemma. Located in a state that has overtaken California as the nation’s top producer of motion pictures, Georgia State offered advantages in film, his chosen career field.

But the University of Alabama had its own advantages. For one thing, Roll Tide; Daniel is an Alabama fan. But first and foremost, Birmingham Promise offered him four years of tuition-free college — assuming he attended a public institution here in the state of Alabama.

Daniel recognized it as a stunningly good deal – in fact, almost too good to be true.

“They were saying they could pay my tuition, but I didn’t really believe it. That seems like a lot to offer for every graduate of Birmingham City Schools,” he said. “But lo and behold, here we are now, and I’m truly grateful for everything they’ve done for me.”

Freedom to focus on career-related experience

Not only is he entering his senior year and looking forward to graduating with no debt, he also has built a solid bank of career-related work experiences to bolster his degree in creative media.

Some of it started even before college. When he was just 12, Daniel’s dad asked him to help out with the church media at Tabernacle Church of God in Christ near Bessemer. Gregory Stanley had no way to know that his son’s church work would lead to a career path.

Over the years, and especially during the COVID pandemic, his father’s church elevated its media technology, and Daniel’s responsibilities and skills continued to grow. He has continued his church work while in college, leading the media work at Bethel COGIC in Northport.

Another opportunity came via a professor who “was always appreciative of my work and what I do with film sets.” She turned Daniel on to a chance to be a volunteer camera operator and technical director at the Tuscaloosa Amphitheater. Now, he is the guy switching cameras and capturing cool views of the performance that show up on the screens during concerts. “I was nervous because I’d never done anything like that,” he said.

Yet another opportunity came along when Jason Meadows, the outgoing president of the Birmingham Board of Education, hired Daniel to create a video about Birmingham City Schools. Along the way, Daniel has seized other opportunities to work with film crews in various capacities – almost too many to juggle. He built not only a resume but also career connections that he hopes will last a lifetime.

“Opportunities like that have come suddenly, and it’s through those connections where I’m able to learn more from people I meet, like the guy who handles media for Birmingham City Schools,” Daniel said. “Opportunities like that, I will never take for granted.”

Advice to students: ‘Definitely apply for Birmingham Promise’

He has continued to excel academically as virtually a straight-A student, and Birmingham Promise programs have helped round out his education. He appreciated the check-ins with Birmingham Promise success coaches who not only were concerned with his academic progress but also with his mental and physical health. Optional Birmingham Promise programs guided him on topics such as  financial literacy and building a resume.

His degree in creative media gives him career opportunities beyond creating and editing video, including skills graphics design, special effects, and sound. Daniel is willing to take on challenges of any kind. “I would like to work anywhere I can financially be stable with,” he said.

Graduating from college without debt gives him the kind of options in a career that he enjoyed when he was choosing a college. That’s something he encourages students still in Birmingham City Schools to consider.

“If any high-schoolers out there have any doubts about Birmingham Promise, they should consult their parents or Birmingham Promise; it’s really worth it,” Daniel said. “Going to college in-state is already cheaper than going out of state, and they should definitely apply to Birmingham Promise. It will definitely be beneficial to their college career.”

Brian Fields II is the first Birmingham Promise student to graduate from Auburn University, and he has focused hard on making the most of his time in college.

“My time at Auburn has so far been the best of my life,” he said. “The people I’ve met, the opportunities I’ve had, and not having to worry about tuition – I loved it.”

Now, Brian hopes to start physical therapy school in August 2026 and begin building a career that encompasses two of his passions – medicine and sports.

These are passions that sprang from Brian’s experiences growing up. A childhood case of meningitis exposed him to the medical field, and he wanted that to be a part of his future. And he adored playing sports – starting out with baseball and football and later giving way wholeheartedly to basketball.

He admits he harbored dreams of playing in the NBA before genetics kicked in and his height leveled off at 6 feet. But his college years have prepared him for a career that will let him keep one foot in the world of healthcare and the other in the world of sports.

“My goal is to work with athletes, to help them rehab and recover from injuries,” he said.

Brian completed a one-year general studies/pre-physical therapy program at Lawson State Community College before setting out for his bachelor’s degree. He applied to only two schools – the University of Alabama and Auburn. He got into both, and though a fan of the Crimson Tide, he chose Auburn because it was a better fit for his career goals.

He worked hard, took summer courses and completed his bachelor’s degree in exercise science at Auburn in just three years. Just as important, he also made it a point to make connections along the way.

Stepping out to build relationships

It wasn’t always easy.

Having changed schools a few times before graduating from Carver High School in 2021, Brian knew what it felt like to be the odd man out. And when he first arrived at Auburn University in 2022, he felt seriously out of place in a smaller town that revolved almost entirely around the campus.

“I didn’t even know if I wanted to be here,” he said. “It was that different.”

But instead of giving up, Brian made it a point to “put himself out there” and to build bridges to the people he encountered at Auburn.

He spent a lot of time working out at the campus recreation center, so he looked for unfamiliar faces and made it a point to share a hello or even a “War Eagle” instead of a “Roll Tide.” He engaged with his professors. He kept up with his Birmingham Promise success coach.

Through his outreach, he developed strong bonds in Auburn, and he also got leads on volunteer opportunities and physical therapy clinics where he could start building experience and professional networks. One professor served as a reference that helped him get a job. His ability to build relationships is a skill he knows will serve him well throughout his career.

As he looks back on his time in college, he is grateful to Birmingham Promise for the scholarships that paid four years of tuition. While he took out some student loans to cover those summer classes that are outside Birmingham Promise’s scope, Brian said he would have graduated college with a much bigger debt had it not been for Birmingham Promise, and the next phase of his education would look far more daunting.

He encourages students to take full advantage of the college experience that Birmingham Promise provides.

He offers this advice: Set goals, but be open to opportunities that may happen along the way. And when you encounter them, don’t be afraid to step out.

“One of my favorite verses is Proverbs 16:9 – ‘A man’s mind plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps,’” Brian said. “My mom always told me, ‘You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.’ Strive to keep going. You never know where the path will lead.”

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.”