Flint Promise hosts informational meeting as program embarks on third year

Now in his second year at Mott Community College, Grant Morrison is in the process of determining his next steps.

“Like a lot of college students, I floated around my first year and didn’t really know what I wanted to do,” Morrison says. “Then I took some electrical classes and really enjoyed it. I’m now trying to decide whether I should go into robotics, which would lead me into a bachelor’s degree, or if I’m going to become an electrician.”

Thanks to the Flint Promise program, Morrison has been able to focus his time and efforts on his academic performance and decisions. The scholarship—which is designed for Flint residents who graduate or earn a GED from a high school located in Flint—covers up to 100 percent of a student’s tuition and book fees after federal grants and other scholarships are applied.

“I don’t have to worry about paying off any student loan debt down the line,” Morrison says. “It’s great—my brother actually just applied for the scholarship, too.”

Flint Promise first launched in 2018 and currently has more than 160 students enrolled in its scholarship program at Kettering University, Mott Community College and the University of Michigan-Flint. The program is now accepting applications for the 2020-21 academic year and will host an informational meeting for parents, students, school counselors and interested community members on Saturday, March 21.

“This is a great opportunity to learn and ask questions about how the scholarship can be used and what kind of wraparound supports are available,” says James Avery, director of Education & Training at the Flint & Genesee Chamber of Commerce, which administers the scholarship program.

According to Avery, the scholarship is open to students who meet the following criteria:

• Graduate from a high school located within the City of Flint, or receive a GED in the City of Flint, in or after 2018
• Reside within the City of Flint at the time of graduation
• Graduate with a 1.8 GPA or higher
• Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
• Apply to a participating college or university
• Be age 24 or younger

To RSVP for the Flint Promise Informational Meeting, click here.

Flint Promise was established through $2 million in combined gifts from the Consumers Energy Foundation and Tom Gores, Founder of FlintNOW, and is housed at the Community Foundation of Greater Flint and administered by the Flint & Genesee Chamber.

To learn more, visit theflintpromise.org.

Sign up for the Afterschool Download email