Tony Kemp holds down two jobs and goes to school.
Tough, by anyone’s standards.
One thing he doesn’t have to worry about, however, is paying tuition.
Kemp, 25, is among more than 30 employees at Canterbury Court, a senior residential community in Buckhead, who received financial help through an innovative scholarship program run and funded by residents.
“It took good people who care about others and are really trying to help,” said Kemp, who works as a waiter at Canterbury. “I’m blessed.”
So far this year, the Canterbury scholarship committee, which first met in July 2013, has awarded more than $50,000 in aid, ranging from $700 to $2,000 a semester.
Money is also available for people to earn a GED diploma.
“We want them to pursue their dreams,” said Lorene C. Pilcher, a professor emerita at Georgia State University and chairwoman of the scholarship committee, which is made up of a dozen residents. “We don’t intend to keep them here at Canterbury after they graduate, although we’d love to have them. We’re delighted to see them go wherever their college education allows them to go.”
Students may attend technical or traditional college. The field of study varies widely and it doesn’t have to pertain to their specific jobs at Canterbury.
For instance, a woman who worked in dining services plans to earn a law degree. Another staffer, a certified nursing assistant, wants to become a registered nurse. A maintenance technician, originally from Burma, also known as Myanmar, wants to be an electrical engineer.
“These people have a job, they have responsibilities at home — whether children or older people,” said Sue Mobley, president of the residents’ council. ” I am amazed at how they work this education component into their lives because they have no leisure time, obviously. I think that is what’s so admirable.”
No one can pinpoint exactly how the idea developed. Perhaps it began as casual conversations between residents and an employee about their desires to pursue a career or education. Or maybe, one resident saw a staffer hitting the books and asked about his studies. But word spread.
Then, as the story goes, a resident whose family business offers scholarships suggested they consider doing the same.
“That was the spark,” said Mobley.
It seemed a natural since several residents are former educators, including Mobley, a retired French teacher.
Pilcher said she has noticed that the recipients ” stick with it” although many are working full time and going to school. Most are only take a couple of courses and many are the first ones to attend college in their families. “They may not have the same kind of help or support at home and in their schools to apply for college that our grandchildren do.”
Here’s how it works: Employees who apply for scholarships must submit an essay and their last transcript, whether from high school or college. Then, they are interviewed by a member of the scholarship committee.
Committee members are willing to go the extra mile. Some interviews have even been held at midnight, to accommodate work schedules.
If approved, that interviewer may also serve as a mentor to guide the employee through the college experience or specially help with the field of study or career objective. For instance, residents include retired business owners, mathematicians, accountants and scientists. Any help they need is likely at their fingertips.
For Chung “John” Lee, a maintenance technician who dreams of going to Georgia Tech and becoming and electrical engineer, his mentor helped him open doors that might otherwise have remained closed.
Brian Brown, a retired insurance executive and former scholarship committee member, remembered a resident who was a former distributor to the Trane Co., which offers an array of heating and air conditioning services and systems. He arranged for Lee to talk with personnel manager, who advised him on how best to pursue his goal.
Meanwhile, Brown, a Georgia Tech alumnus, contacted the university and arranged for a meeting with the an official who works with foreign students, who also made suggestions.
“I got lucky and doors opened for John,” Brown said.
And Kemp also talks to his mentor on a regular basis.
She checks on how he is progressing and “tries to make sure I’m and doing the right thing and not being a knucklehead,” he said, laughing.
While not all 259 residents participate, “We’ve never had to say, ‘Gee, we’d like to give more scholarship but we don’t have the money,’ ” Pilcher said.
Edith M. Ottey, a single mother of a teenage daughter, wants to get a master’s degree in business administration with a concentration in healthcare management.
She has received two $2,000 scholarships.
The money has helped her reduce school fees and the amount of loans she would have had to take out for her tuition.
“I would still be doing it (going to school), but it makes a big difference,” she said. “I really appreciate the residents for what they are doing for us. It shows they appreciate us a lot for what we are doing. “
About the Author
