Birmingham Promise students pursuing health-related majors at UAB may be eligible for extra financial aid through a city grant program that can help cover expenses such as summer tuition and books.
David Dada, director of government relations at UAB, said Birmingham Promise students can receive assistance through December 2025 from the City of Birmingham’s Good Jobs Challenge grant.
“This is a great opportunity for students who are interested in healthcare careers to close some gaps in financial aid,” Dada said. “Already, the Good Jobs grant is helping students on their journey to become nurses, doctors, optometrists, physical therapists, researchers and other kinds of health professionals.
Ciara Gray is one of at least 47 UAB students who are participating in the program. Gray, who is studying biomedical sciences in the pre-med track, said applying was easy, and the rewards have gone beyond financial help.
“Not only has the Good Jobs grant allowed me not to worry about the financial burden of summer tuition and books, but it has allowed me to connect with people,” she said at a recent press conference about the program. “I want to be a pediatric neurologist and with the Good Jobs grant, they have allowed me to connect with people when it comes to shadowing and volunteer hours.”
Birmingham Promise provides up to four years of tuition assistance for graduates of Birmingham City Schools who attend public colleges and universities in Alabama. UAB has a very active cohort of Birmingham Promise scholars.
But while Promise covers tuition and mandatory fees, students still sometimes struggle with other college expenses, and that’s where the Good Jobs grant can help.
Students who are interested can contact David Dada at dldada@uab.edu.
The City of Birmingham received the $10.8 million grant in 2022. It came from the Economic Development Administration in the U.S. Department of Commerce as part of the American Rescue Plan’s Good Jobs Challenge.
The grant is designed to help Birmingham build a pipeline of healthcare professionals and to provide career opportunities for underserved communities, particularly women and people of color.
In addition to the additional financial aid available to Birmingham Promise students at UAB, the Good Jobs grant can help adults who are unemployed or underemployed to get trained for high-quality healthcare jobs. (For more information, go to www.goodjobsbham.com.)
