The Greenwood Promise launches scholarship program to help Piedmont Technical College students take their ‘Next Step’

Cherish Butler is enjoying life as a student at Piedmont Technical College (PTC).

“It is going great,” Butler said. “I love the school. The campus is very nice and very welcoming. You get to meet new people.”

A new “Next Step” scholarship that Butler received from The Greenwood Promise also helped.

“I feel honored to get it,” said Butler, adding that she intends to spend the money to help cover the cost of textbooks.

Butler took dual-enrollment courses at PTC as a high school senior before graduating in May from Emerald High School in Greenwood. She is now in the college’s nursing program. 

As part of a pilot program that launched this fall, Butler is among 87 first-year PTC students who are receiving the same $250 amount each semester from The Greenwood Promise through its “Next Step” scholarships.

The scholarships are meant to ease financial barriers facing students as they pursue their postsecondary education, said Carrie Hofmann, president and CEO of The Greenwood Promise.

“This is our attempt to try something additional to support our students in a way that we haven’t before,” Hofmann said. “We’re starting with new students who just graduated from high school.”

The scholarships are awarded based on financial need, and there are no restrictions on how the $250 can be spent, Hofmann said. She anticipates that many students will use the money for groceries, gas, school supplies or perhaps a down payment on a laptop.

A key goal of the “Next Step” scholarships is to encourage students to stay on course to graduate, said PTC Vice President for Student Affairs Dr. Joshua Black.

“When students stop attending college, it is often due to temporary challenges,” Black said. “Lots of students are one flat tire away from not being able to continue.”

The “Next Step” initiative represents the latest effort by The Greenwood Promise to make sure high school graduates in the county can afford to attend college. This commitment is part of a strategy to develop a highly qualified workforce that meets the needs of local employers.

Since its creation in 2017, The Greenwood Promise has contributed more than $300,000 to cover tuition costs and mandatory fees for almost 400 PTC students. The Greenwood Promise is a last-dollar scholarship which only pays when there is a balance after state and federal aid. Because generous additions to South Carolina’s financial aid programs now make these costs negligible for most students at PTC, The Greenwood Promise has the opportunity to adjust its strategy to more fully address the cost of attendance for eligible students. Should state or federal funding change, The Greenwood Promise stands ready to pick up the tab.

This new scholarship represents a continued evolution of the program to understand and address student needs. Several years ago, for instance, The Greenwood Promise partnered with PTC to fund a new career coordinator position at the college – a move that has helped hundreds of students prepare to enter the county’s workforce.

For the past three years, The Greenwood Promise also has been supporting third- and fourth-year students pursuing undergraduate degrees at Lander University, as well as students seeking engineering degrees at state schools such as Clemson University and the University of South Carolina.

“Our main focus is trying to help the people in this community to get a postsecondary education, whichever path fits them,” Hofmann said. “Then hopefully they’ll continue to stay here to fill some of the jobs in Greenwood.”

Black said The Greenwood Promise has helped promote a more robust “college-going culture” in Greenwood County than in surrounding counties. 

The organization also has made a positive difference at PTC, he said.

“It’s been a contributing factor for some enrollment increases in Greenwood County,” he said. “And it’s also one of the key ingredients in the mix for many of the improved student outcomes that we’ve seen.”