Living Up to the Promise: Tyena Neely

Tyena Neely has known she wanted to be a teacher her whole life. “I knew I wanted to be a teacher since I was 3,” says Neely. “I love kids. I love helping people.”

The 2019 graduate of Flint Southwestern Classical Academy may have known what she wanted to do, but how she’d become a teacher was a different story. A driven student focused on her academics, she had career goals but wasn’t sure how she would pay for college. “I don’t think I would have been able to finish college if I didn’t have the (Flint Promise) scholarship,” Neely says.

That uncertainty changed when Flint Promise Success Coaches held a presentation at her school during Neely’s senior year. Hearing what the Flint Promise had to offer was like a bolt of lightning and was something she couldn’t pass up. “Why not take the chance?” Neely says. “We don’t get these opportunities. When there’s a knock at the door, you open it.”

Neely was awarded the Flint Promise Scholarship upon graduation, which allowed her first to attend Mott Community College and then transfer to the University of Michigan-Flint to pursue her dream career. “It has been amazing,” Neely says. “I am glad I took the opportunity. With the Flint Promise Scholarship, as long as you’re following your requirements, your classes are paid for. You don’t have to worry about paying for your classes. You can focus on your academics.”

Beyond the scholarship itself, she has been afforded additional support. “They provide you with opportunities to meet with other Flint Promise students to talk about your experiences,” says Neely. They also provide you with a success advisor to help you out, and they really provide you with the tools to succeed.” 

The Flint Promise Scholarship gives students like Tyena Neely support to pursue their dreams. For graduates of high schools located in the city of Flint, the scholarship covers the cost of tuition after federal grants and other scholarships have been used and allows students to attend one of the participating colleges for little or no cost. It’s an opportunity that is hard to pass up.

When it comes to her future as a teacher, Neely has that planned out too. “I hope to work at the school where I am doing my fieldwork in Swartz Creek,” Neely says. “I want to teach third grade somewhere. I want to hop right into working.”

Her advice to students considering the scholarship: Do it.

 “Take the chance,” says Neely. “You can focus solely on your academics. You’ll have a support team to back you up. Everyone in the Flint Promise is a community. You have your own family.” 

For more information on the Flint Scholarship program, visit TheFlintPromise.org.