Category: Success Story

Zykiria Carey achieves ultimate goal: Graduating from college debt-free

Posted on June 10, 2025

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.”

Birmingham Promise intern brings fresh perspective to UAB Human Resources

Posted on December 4, 2024

UAB recently highlighted Ramsay High School student Kendall Petties, who is just wrapping up a Birmingham Promise internship with the UAB Human Resources department. The benefits were two-way! Kendall got valuable work experience, while UAB got fresh perspectives on the workforce of tomorrow. Read more from UAB here:

https://www.uab.edu/reporter/outreach/uab-in-the-community/item/10372-birmingham-promise-intern-brings-fresh-perspectives-to-uab-human-resources

(Photo credit: Kendall Petties/UAB)

Birmingham Promise helps Ramsay grad pursue dreams of becoming commercial pilot

Posted on September 19, 2024

It’s only natural that Kaleb Newton looks to the skies when he envisions his future.

His mom is a former flight attendant, and his grandfather is an aerospace engineer. Kaleb has set his sights on becoming a commercial airline pilot.

Birmingham Promise played a role in helping Kaleb set this goal – and is now playing a role in helping him achieve it.

As a student at Ramsay High School, Kaleb participated in the Birmingham Promise internship program. He got a taste of an engineering career while interning at Hardware Park – and he decided he wanted to go in a different direction.

“It was actually a great experience, and I learned a lot,” he said. “I just realized engineering wasn’t my cup of tea. It let me know what I didn’t want to do.”

Helping students explore potential careers is a fundamental part of Birmingham Promise, and part of the value is for students to eliminate options so they can find their true passion.

For Kaleb, it’s flying. Part of his journey included a “discovery” flight that exposes young people to the air to see what they think of it. “I loved it,” he said.

He is now a freshman at Auburn University pursuing a degree in professional flight. Birmingham Promise is contributing to the cost of his tuition.

While Kaleb received a couple of scholarships from Auburn that covered some of his expenses, he said, Birmingham Promise “knocked out pretty much everything I had left. It was a very helpful scholarship.”

The assistance leaves Kaleb free to focus on coursework and campus life, which is important as he begins his college career.

“It’s been an adjustment,” he said. “It’s a big change.”

Kaleb is already taking classes in his major. “My third day here I was already in a plane,” he said.

His goal is to be part of Delta’s Propel internship program and ultimately to join the airline’s team of pilots. Auburn was a great fit for that.

“Auburn’s flight school is good, and it has a track record of sending good students to Delta,” Kaleb said. “To me, Delta is the best quality airline, and this is a gateway for me to get there.”

Parents: Birmingham Promise reduces stress of educating your child

Posted on May 30, 2024

Jordan Abdur-Rasheed had no shortage of college scholarship offers when he graduated from Ramsay IB High School in 2023. But only one option covered the full cost of his tuition, said his mother, Yolanda Coleman.

That was the Birmingham Promise.

Birmingham Promise allows graduates of Birmingham City Schools to attend any in-state public college, tuition free, for up to four years. For Jordan, the program is covering tuition so that he can get an aerospace engineering degree from Auburn University.

“Participating in the Birmingham promise is one of the most substantial decisions a parent can make if their child is pursuing a college degree in the state of Alabama,” said Ms. Coleman. “It takes away the financial stress that can discourage students from  the idea of going to college.”

In Jordan’s case, the question was never whether he would go to college. The question was how to pay for it.

“Without Birmingham Promise, Jordan’s mom, stepmom and I would have been faced with the burden of helping him navigate the financial challenges often associated with college and debt,” said Jordan’s father, Aquil Abdur-Rasheed. “Loans and other options for him and for us might have been the alternative.”

Without having to worry about the financial burdens of a college education, Jordan has been free to focus on his studies, and he has “soared academically and socially his first year at Auburn,” his father said.

In addition to resolving financial concerns, Birmingham Promise provides coaches for its scholars, and that has also been an important resource for Jordan as he adjusted to his first year away from home at college.

“Being a part of Birmingham Promise has been one of the most influential parts of my college career,” he said. “Taking advantage of the program and all of the help they give us almost makes Birmingham Promise feel like a life saver.”

That, too, is no small thing for his parents.

“It does my heart good to know that my child, my only son, is away from us but still connected to family,” Abdur-Rasheed said. “His Birmingham Promise peers and success coaches are like family as they all play a role in helping him navigate college successfully. I wish I had a village like Birmingham Promise when I was in school!”

The benefits offered by Birmingham Promise further reinforce the decision for Jordan to attend Birmingham City Schools, where he started in pre-K and “enjoyed every year.”

“I made the decision to keep Jordan in Birmingham City Schools long before the existence of Birmingham Promise,” Coleman said. “Both Jordan’s father and I are products of Birmingham City Schools, and we believed Jordan would receive the same quality education that has contributed to our successful careers.”

Still, Birmingham Promise gives parents another reason to stay in Birmingham City Schools, and Coleman said she would encourage parents in the system to explore the college options made available through the program.

“Most students will not receive a full-ride scholarship,” she said. “Birmingham Promise stands in the gap to make sure all graduating students have the opportunity to go to college with the financial assistance and support they need to be successful.”

As much as she appreciates what Birmingham Promise has done for her son, she also appreciates what it does for other students who face a range of barriers to college, including what she believes is the largest one: costs.

“The cost of college is very expensive even for a two-income household,” she said. “Birmingham Promise makes going to college a reality for so many kids that never thought they could afford college.”

If Abdur-Rasheed has a regret, it’s that Jordan’s academic and athletic schedule in high school made it impossible for him to participate in the other main component of Birmingham Promise – a paid internship program for seniors.

“As  parents, we would tell other parents to engage their children in Birmingham Promise as early as possible,” Jordan’s parents said. “We believe Birmingham Promise does an amazing job of preparing students for the workforce through their high school internship program and in walking alongside our children through their collegiate journey. We are grateful!”

Birmingham Promise student to be family’s first four-year college graduate – and without going in debt

Posted on March 15, 2024

Damiuna Dawson graduated in the Top 10% at Carver High School, where she also served as president of her senior class and president of the National Honor Society. Soon, she will become the first in her family to graduate from a four-year university.

Just as exciting, she will graduate from the University of Alabama at Birmingham entirely debt-free, thanks to help from the Birmingham Promise.

Damiuna grew up the youngest of five children in a single-parent home where finding resources even for high school was sometimes a stretch.

With her natural abilities as an athlete, scholar and leader, she made the most of her time in high school, among other things serving as the secretary of the Birmingham Superintendent’s Advisory Council, as a City of Birmingham Bicentennial Ambassador, and as an intern in the city school system, where she was instrumental in changes to the school dress code.

So many people, Damiuna said, saw her potential and provided her opportunities, even her classmates who elected her to leadership roles. “If this were a name-calling rally, I would have an endless list of community leaders, teachers, coaches, and my church who’ve all poured into me because of my potential and ability to lead,” Damiuna said. “Even my peers saw my potential and knew that I would do great things.”

While she wanted to be the first in her family to attend a four-year university, Damiuna didn’t know how she’d pay for it without taking on loads of debt. Fortunately, by the time of her graduation from Carver, the City of Birmingham had launched Birmingham Promise. The Class of 2020 was the first to benefit from the program, which ensures that all graduates of Birmingham City Schools can go to college tuition-free.

While Damiuna knew she would go to college, Birmingham Promise meant that she could get her degree in social work without taking out any student loans. “Graduating college debt-free is something I brag about,” she said.

Damiuna maximized the benefits of Birmingham Promise by attending UAB, which provides additional assistance and support for students in the program. UAB covered her housing expenses the first year, and by serving as a resident advisor, she had dorm expenses covered in later years, allowing her to stay on campus and contributing to her academic success.

“UAB has been the best decision of my life,” she said. “I have had so many opportunities coming to this school. They have really been a blessing.”

It hasn’t always been easy. But Damiuna persisted and took necessary steps to finish her degree in social work in four years. Now, she is set to move on to the next chapter, including her hopes of pursuing a master’s degree and ultimately doing the work she believes God called her to do.

In becoming a social worker, Damiuna wants to help children and families connect with resources that will help them with their life challenges – some of the same ones she faced and overcame in her childhood and adolescence.

“Even at a young age, I would ask myself how I could help,” she said.

One way Damiuna already tries to help her successors at Birmingham City School is to encourage them to make the most of what Birmingham Promise offers, including scholarships, internships, and training and coaching opportunities.

“I would tell students to take full advantage of this opportunity to have the future set up for them,” she said. “I’m truly a village child, and it took the entire village. When I look back and see Birmingham, all I see is all that they’ve done for me.”

Birmingham Promise internship program receives state’s Seal of Excellence Award

Posted on February 20, 2024

Birmingham Promise’s internship program has received a Work-Based Learning Seal of Excellence Award from the Alabama Office of Apprenticeships. Birmingham Promise was one of four organizations across the state to receive the distinction this year.

“Your dedication and innovative approach to work-based learning is key to opening doors, breaking barriers, and propelling Alabamians forward,” Josh Laney, director of the Alabama Office of Apprenticeship, said in the notification to Birmingham Promise. “This award recognizes the work you have put in to building the kinds of unique solutions we need to put our citizens on paths to success and to keep our economy moving forward.”

Birmingham Promise facilitates internships for seniors in Birmingham City Schools, providing a path for them to gain job experience, start building professional networks and earn $15 an hour. More than 225 Birmingham students have benefited from internships through Birmingham Promise.

“We are so excited for our program to receive this recognition,” said Samantha Williams, executive director at Birmingham Promise. “The Alabama Office of Apprenticeship’s mission is to promote high-quality work-based learning programs, and to receive its Seal of Excellence is so meaningful to us as we work to give Birmingham students a strong foundation for a successful career.”

All work-based learning programs in the state were invited to apply for the Seal of Excellence, including those programs that provide job shadowing, career fairs and expos, industry tours, employability skills training, internships and apprenticeships.  The competition brings together employers, educators, and economic developers from across Alabama to learn best practices.

As part of the recognition, Birmingham Promise will be among the presenters at the Alabama Summit on Talent Retention and Work-Based Learning, which will be held at Regions Field April 8-10.

“This is an opportunity for us to share the way Birmingham’s business community and school system have worked together to give our young people a head start to succeed in the workplace,” said Mia Toole, director of program operations for Birmingham Promise’s work-based learning division. “These internships have proved to be not only beneficial for the students but also for the employers who participate. We are so proud to be able to share their success stories with the rest of the state.”

Birmingham Promise opens door for Parker graduate to launch skilled trade career

Posted on January 31, 2024

As a young student at Parker High School, LaDarius Smaw did not have a plan for the future.

“I didn’t know what I was going to do after graduation,” said Smaw, who grew up in Ensley. “I didn’t think I was going to college.”

But when a school counselor shared details of Birmingham Promise, Smaw started thinking about his options and he realized he had more than he thought. “Give it a shot,” he told himself. “Give it a try.”

He applied for a Birmingham Promise scholarship.

Through the Promise application process, he got connected to Lawson State Community College’s career/tech program and to other applications for financial aid. He graduated from Parker in 2021 and earned his welding certificate in less than two years, with the cost fully covered. As it turned out, he did not need financial assistance from Birmingham Promise, but he benefited from the program’s coaching services and from knowing that Promise assistance was there if other aid fell through.

“It was cool,” Smaw said of his time at Lawson State. “I learned a lot.”

Since then, he has joined Local Union 91, where he is working as an apprentice on his way to becoming a journeyman pipefitter and plumber.

“I started my first job back in September,” he said. “I’m learning every day. I go out with people who have a lot of experience, and I am picking up more and more knowledge on the job. You can learn more hands-on, or at least I do.”

While his career plans shifted from welding, the program at Lawson State gave him a basic foundation of technical knowledge that provided another building block on his way to his career as a skilled tradesman.

He wants to encourage students in Birmingham City Schools to take advantage of Birmingham Promise, even if they are unsettled about what they want to do or don’t think they have many options.

“Back when I was in high school, I never thought I’d be able to do what I do now,” Smaw said. “I tell people if the opportunity is there, always take it. The sky’s the limit. The possibilities are here, you’ve just got to go get them. Never give up.”

Jacksonville State graduates its first Birmingham Promise scholar

Posted on December 18, 2023

‘Thanks to Jacksonville State for highlighting its first Birmingham Promise graduate! Ashia Hudson graduated Dec. 15 with a degree in social work. Congratulations, Ashia! Read more of her story at https://www.jsu.edu/news/articles/2023/12/jsus-first-bham-promise-scholar-to-graduate-on-dec-15.html.

By Brett Buckner

On Friday, Dec. 15, around 500 graduates are expected to cross the stage at Pete Mathews Coliseum. After shaking the president’s hand and posing for photos, each will take their first steps into a future, diplomas in hand.

Among those celebrating this next chapter will be Ashia Hudson, who is the first Birmingham Promise scholarship recipient to graduate from the university.

“It feels good that I can shed light on a great opportunity for those that are coming after me so that they can take advantage of it and use it to their full potential,” said Hudson. “I am happy and excited that I am able to have a positive outcome from accepting and using the scholarship.”

The Birmingham Promise provides up to four years of tuition assistance for graduates of Birmingham City Schools who attend public colleges and universities in Alabama. Through JSU’s partnership with the program, 137 students have received more than $1.1 million in funding over the past three years.

“It is extremely rewarding to see the first of many students in this program reach that final milestone and graduate from Jax State,” said Logan DeBoer, JSU’s Associate Director of Scholarships. “Birmingham Promise is such an impactful program because they provide financial support to deserving students who may not have initially been able to access college otherwise. Students like Ashia are great examples of how hard work and opportunity can result in incredible success.”

After receiving her bachelor’s degree in social work, Hudson will attend the Advance Standing Program for Social Work, with the intention of completing a master’s degree in December 2024.

“My JSU journey has been one to remember,” Hudson said. “I cannot wait to see what the future holds for me.”

Hudson’s big day was included in news coverage about JSU’s graduation:

https://calhounjournal.com/birmingham-promise-scholar-makes-history-as-jacksonville-state-university-gears-up-for-fall-commencement/

https://www.wbrc.com/2023/12/16/jacksonville-state-university-graduates-preparing-future/

A day in the life of an entrepreneur

Posted on October 24, 2023
By Kaleb Carson, Birmingham Promise intern, Huffman High School Student 

On October 5, 2023, I visited Corey Bishop’s shop, Refresh Clothing in Five Points West-Ensley. As I entered the store, I felt the welcoming atmosphere of the shop and Mr. Corey Bishop. I appreciated the presence of someone who was hands-on with his customers and that’s what makes Mr. Corey different from any other clothing entrepreneur. Usually when I enter a clothing store, it’s hard to pick out a piece of clothing to match the new shoes I picked up, but Mr. Corey has his shop designed to where I could just walk in and find an outfit automatically. The store had everything separated on both sides of the store, with both walls filled with coordinated clothing. That makes it very easy and accessible for anyone from ages 5-75 to shop.

Being in the store with Mr. Corey taught me that his path wasn’t always easy. He started off selling clothes from the trunk of his car in 2005, taking a risk on trying to be successful and not being afraid to be different, while overcoming some personal hurdles and mistakes. Fast forward to now, it paid off well for him, inspiring me to do something different from my peers and making me more confident in thinking outside the box and taking a risk. When Mr. Corey told me that if I can find something I would do for free and really enjoy it, imagine what could come of that if I applied myself to learn more and get paid to do it that really stuck with me. That’s a very important note I took from Mr. Corey. He also had me try on a new jacket that had just arrived in the store. The quality of the jacket was great!

On the road to success, Mr. Corey didn’t do everything by himself. He had the help of a mentor who guided and motivated him. I now know that everyone needs to shadow after someone and have others help them along the way, because learning from others will take us a long way. Mr. Corey even talked about how his participation in Prosper’s Team UP program has truly helped his store and him.

In addition to his clothing store, Mr. Corey has another store located in the same shopping center in Five Points West-Ensley called Twice as Nice Water Ice. They serve delicious flavored, frozen ice, hot dogs, chips, and more. Someone owning two shops in one shopping center is unprecedented, but Corey Bishop has done it. I know that if he can do it, I can do it, too, as long as I stay focused, allow others to help me and find something I love to do.

Congratulations to Jamarean Heard on publishing his first article as an AL.com intern!

Posted on September 22, 2023

We’re proud of Birmingham Promise intern Jamarean Heard and grateful to our employer partner AL.com for offering him an opportunity to gain experience working in journalism.

Read the first of what we hope will be many stories by Jamarean! https://www.al.com/news/2023/09/montevallo-to-add-two-electric-vehicle-charging-stations.html