Durham Tech Promise helps student reach goals, featured on WCHL

Ava Rountree’s high school graduation was looming, and she still needed to decide which college to attend.

That’s when she learned about the Durham Tech Promise scholarship. “(It) finalized my decision to go to Durham Tech,” she said.

The Durham Tech Promise is a scholarship program that launched in January and provides up to $1,000 each year for two years to eligible students. When Rountree learned of the program, it was in its pilot phase called ConnectFunds.

Rountree had a month to go before her graduation from Cedar Ridge High School in Hillsborough when she met with Penny Gluck, Executive Dean of Orange County Services, to discuss Durham Tech as an option for her post-secondary education. That’s when Gluck informed her of the scholarship.

“College education is expensive, and any financial assistance is greatly appreciated,” Rountree said. “I have been able to stay local, save money, and work while being at Durham Tech. This has helped me tremendously, and now I have some money saved up to go towards my continuing education.”

Rountree plans to graduate this summer and wants to study recreation and park management at a four-year college.

Last month, she and Dr. Christine Kelly-Kleese, Vice President of Student Engagement, Development, and Support at Durham Tech, went on WCHL radio station’s “The Aaron Keck Show” to speak with host Aaron Keck about the Durham Tech Promise. Keck is also a political science instructor at Durham Tech.

“The Durham Tech Promise program is all about making college affordable, reducing tuition by as much as half for eligible students,” Kelly-Kleese said to Keck.

To be eligible, a student must be a recent in-state high school graduate from Durham County or a recent in-state public high school graduate from Orange County, like Rountree, who enrolls in at least six credit hours at Durham Tech. Students with out-of-state status should contact the Durham Tech Financial Aid office for more eligibility information.

The Durham Tech Promise funds first go towards the recipient’s tuition and fees. After the funds are applied, any additional financial aid the student has will help cover his or her remaining expenses.

There is no application process for the scholarship. The college’s Financial Aid office contacts qualified students after reviewing their records and automatically applies the amount to their account.

“We see it as a way to build up upward economic mobility for students and their families in our area,” Kelly-Kleese said on WCHL.

To hear the full WCHL interview, visit chapelboro.com/town-square/building-upward-mobility-with-the-durham-tech-promise-program.

For more information about the Durham Tech Promise, visit durhamtech.edu/promise.