Contact: Alex Lyda
214-378-1819;
alyda@dcccd.edu
For immediate release — Oct. 5, 2019
(DALLAS) — Dallas County high school students — especially seniors — got a jump on their dreams recently by “promising” to begin their college journey tuition-free through the Dallas County Promise program.
More than 300 students and their families gathered on the campus of the University of North Texas at Dallas to take the “Promise Pledge” and complete financial aid forms with the help of administrators from across the district.
The all-day event featured performances from a high school mariachi band, hip-hop music and giveaways courtesy of 97.9 FM The Beat, as well as individual one-on-one college coaching sessions with district Success Coaches like Laura Flores of Mountain View College.
“The point of Promise is to let these young students know they have options when it comes to attending a university,” Flores said. “When you tell a student that, yes, college is for them, it not only impacts the student’s life, it changes the lives of their parents and the community in a very positive way.”
In addition to success coaches, DCCCD Street Teamers also showed up in force to share what they are studying and engage with prospective students.
Funded by the Dallas County Community College District Foundation, Promise is committed to removing barriers that keep Dallas County students from attending college. The program was launched two years ago and has expanded to include 57 high schools and 22,000 high school seniors across 11 ISDs. It funds tuition at all seven DCCCD colleges as well as nine four-year colleges.
“Promise” also has ties to workforce and economic development with business partners who are actively looking for a well-trained workforce.
The program has seen a big jump in participation over the past year. Nearly 9,000 students signed the Promise Pledge in 2018, and this year, factoring in the new pledges from this most recent Promise Day, the number has jumped to more than 16,000.
The following nine universities are partners in the Promise Program and have opened their doors to qualified promise applicants: UNT Dallas, Midwestern State University, Southern Methodist University, Texas A&M University-Commerce and -Texarkana, Texas Woman’s University, Austin College, Paul Quinn College and Prairie View A&M University.
Students from the following high schools attended Promise Day 2019: David W. Carter, DeSoto, Dubiski Career, Duncanville, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Garland, Grand Prairie, Hillcrest, Irving, Jack E. Singley Academy, James Madison, Judge Barefoot Sanders Law Magnet, Mesquite, Moises E. Molina, Skyline, South Oak Cliff, Sunset, W. H. Adamson, W. T. White, West Mesquite and Wilmer-Hutchins.
The deadline for completing the Promise Pledge is Feb. 7, 2020. More information can be found at
dallascountypromise.org.
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