APS, Creekside, and Tri-Cities High School seniors, the Achieve Atlanta Scholarship application is NOW OPEN! Click here to learn more and apply.
Beyond the Cap & Gown: Alleyah Allen’s Journey of Persistence, Purpose, and Growth
When Alleyah Allen decided to attend Kennesaw State University, she was looking forward to a future full of possibilities. Excited by the university’s strong academic programs and flexibility, she chose to major in finance, eager to understand how businesses operate and how financial decisions shape long-term success.
“I wanted to build a stable future for myself,” Alleyah says. “Kennesaw State felt like the right place to grow academically and prepare for a career in business.”
As an Achieve Atlanta Scholar, Alleyah entered college with both ambition and support. The scholarship not only helped ease her tuition burden but also gave her a dedicated network invested in her success.
But just as her journey began, the world changed.
Alleyah, pictured in the center
Navigating Uncertain Times
Alleyah began her freshman year in 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead of experiencing the traditional excitement of campus life, she found herself navigating virtual classes, isolation, and constant uncertainty.
“I was motivated and excited about beginning a new chapter,” she recalls. “But adjusting to college during the pandemic was difficult. It was hard to stay connected, focused, and confident about the future when everything felt unpredictable.”
Like many students during that time, she struggled with the transition. Online learning and limited interaction made it challenging to stay academically and socially connected. At times, graduating from college no longer felt as realistic as it once had.
The Power of The Pivot
In 2021, Alleyah made a pivotal decision that would reshape her path: she enlisted in the Georgia Army National Guard.
Through her service, she gained discipline, structure, and a renewed sense of purpose, helping her regain confidence in herself and her goals.
“My time in the military helped me mature,” she says. “It gave me a fresh mindset and the determination to return to college and finish what I started.”
Serving as both a supply clerk and photographer, she developed valuable skills in responsibility, time management, and resilience, all while continuing her education.
Returning with Focus and Purpose
When Alleyah returned to college, she approached it differently. Her experiences had reshaped her mindset, and she was more focused than ever on her long-term goals.
She remained committed to earning her finance degree while balancing the demands of military service, academic responsibilities, and campus involvement.
“Balancing everything meant staying organized and learning how to adapt quickly,” she says. “There were times when I had to manage assignments around military duties and other responsibilities. It was not always easy.”
But this time, she had the tools and the discipline to push through.
Throughout her journey, Achieve Atlanta remained a consistent source of support. Financially, the scholarship allowed her to focus on her education without overwhelming stress. Mentally, it provided her with a community of support.
“Achieve Atlanta gave me confidence knowing there were people invested in my success,” she says. “When things felt overwhelming, that support reminded me I wasn’t navigating college on my own.”
Looking Ahead
Now, as she prepares to continue building her career, Alleyah is focused on opportunities in business, finance, and supply chain operations while also expanding her photography work.
Her long-term goals remain focused on impact: investing in real estate and developing a tiny home community that creates affordable, meaningful living spaces for others.
“I’m excited to keep growing and building a future that reflects both my creativity and my business goals.”
Alleyah, pictured in the center
A Message to Future Scholars
Reflecting on her journey, Alleyah encourages other Achieve Atlanta Scholars:
“Give yourself grace and remember that everyone’s journey looks different,” she says. “There will be challenging moments, especially when you’re balancing multiple responsibilities, but consistency matters more than perfection.”
She emphasizes the importance of staying focused, asking for help, and using the resources available.
“Every challenge teaches you something,” she says. “And every step forward brings you closer to the future you’re working for.”
Support College Students’ Basic Needs
Nearly one in four Georgia undergraduates faces barriers accessing food, which is a challenge that can derail academic progress, persistence, and overall well‑being. For many students, meeting basic needs like housing, transportation, and healthcare is just as critical as what happens in the classroom.
DREAMS: A Long-Overdue Investment in Georgia’s Students
Earlier this month, the Georgia General Assembly took a significant action to increase college affordability by passing a state budget and legislation to officially establish the DREAMS need-based college scholarship. Once signed by the Governor, DREAMS will mark a turning point for Georgia— one of only two states without a state-funded, need-based financial aid program—and a long-overdue investment in students with the greatest financial barriers.Â
This moment reflects what families have always known: education beyond high school is essential to economic mobility and workforce readiness. Yet for too many Georgians, the cost of college remains the single greatest obstacle, an obstacle that talent and hard work cannot overcome. DREAMS begins to change that reality.Â
Achieve Atlanta was founded on the same core principle: when students receive targeted, reliable financial support, they enroll in college, persist, and graduate. Since our founding, we have supported more than 7,500 students through need-based scholarships and wraparound services. Our results speak for themselves: Achieve Atlanta Scholars persist through college at a rate 11 percentage points higher than similar peers and report lower unmet financial need, reduced student debt, and less financial stress, allowing them to stay focused on academic success. Â
As one Scholar shared, “The Achieve Atlanta Scholarship lifted a burden that allowed me to focus on learning, growing, and pursuing my goals without constant worry.” Â
Tens of thousands of students across Georgia face the same financial challenges as Achieve Atlanta’s Scholars. Our results show that need-based aid works. DREAMS builds on this evidence, extending opportunity statewide and bringing Georgia into alignment with nearly every other state that already recognizes need-based financial aid as a cornerstone of higher education policy.Â
With the General Assembly’s action and the Governor’s signature as a final step, Georgia is sending a clear message: investing in students is investing in the state’s future. By expanding access to need-based aid, we can close attainment gaps, strengthen Georgia’s talent pipeline, and ensure that more students complete credentials that lead to meaningful careers. Achieve Atlanta applauds the leadership that made DREAMS possible and looks forward to continuing our work to ensure that students not only have access to college but also complete it.Â
Atlanta ranks 50th out of 50 major metro areas for upward economic mobility.
Mike Carnathan of Neighborhood Nexus put that number on the table early — and it didn’t leave the room. It shouldn’t. That stat, drawn from Harvard’s Opportunity Insights research, is the clearest indictment of the gap between Atlanta’s ambition and Atlanta’s reality. It’s also the reason a room full of practitioners, funders, and civic leaders showed up to the Atlanta Way 2.0 Forging Pathways: Cradle to Career panel in the first place.
I’ve been doing this work in Atlanta for years. I went to school here. I chose to build here. And I still feel the weight of that number every time I sit across from a Braven Fellow at Spelman College who is talented, driven, and one missed connection away from a very different outcome.
Increase the Transparency of College Admissions and Student Success Outcomes
Applying and enrolling in college, and understanding the true cost of attending college, involves a long and difficult process that most families struggle to navigate. Research shows about 91% of colleges misrepresent or fail to accurately state the net price of attendance in students’ financial aid offers.
Strengthen Credential Completion and Workforce Alignment
Work-based experiential learning opportunities motivate students to persist through college and provide pathways for students to enter the workforce. However, because many work-based learning opportunities remain unpaid, students from lower-income backgrounds are less likely to participate in these opportunities.
Increase Access to College and Career Counseling for High Schoolers
Currently, Georgia’s K-12 funding formula supports a student-to-counselor ratio of 450:1, yet the American School Counselor Association recommends a ratio of 250:1. Given the complexities of navigating the college application and financing process, targeted and intentional postsecondary advising can make or break a student’s ability to access a college education. Learn more by watching this video.
Georgia Takes a Historic Step Toward Need‑Based Aid for College
Last week, in his final State of the State address, Governor Brian Kemp announced a historic $325 million investment in need-based scholarships for Georgia’s students. His proposal acknowledges what many families already know: postsecondary education is essential to upward mobility. Yet far too many students are held back not by talent, but by financial barriers.Â
Achieve Atlanta’s model was built on the very premise driving the Governor’s proposal: when students with financial need receive targeted support, they enroll, persist, and graduate. Independent research shows that Achieve Atlanta’s need-based scholarships are making a difference: students report lower debt, reduced stress, and increased academic focus. As a result, they’re progressing and graduating at rates equal to or higher than their peers without financial constraints. Â
Our results offer a proof point for what is possible—not just for Atlanta students, but for students across Georgia. Tens of thousands of people statewide face similar financial barriers and need-based scholarships are a proven strategy to close those gaps.Â
Achieve Atlanta was proud to join advocates, researchers, and students last fall in sharing data and testimony with the Senate Study Committee on Higher Education Affordability. The Committee’s recommendation laid the groundwork for the Governor’s proposal, and we’re encouraged to see those ideas moving toward action. Â
This is a pivotal moment for Georgia. By expanding need-based financial aid, we can close the credential gap, strengthen the workforce, and ensure opportunity for all. Together, we can make college affordable and keep Georgia thriving. Let’s get to work.Â
Achieve Atlanta’s 2026 Policy Priorities
We’ve launched a new webpage outlining Achieve Atlanta’s policy priorities and the efforts we’re championing to support Atlanta students. We’re also excited to share a mini video series during the session to highlight each of our priorities.
For example, the university was awarded the William T. Grant Institutional Challenge Grant, a five-year, $1 million award received in 2022 by GSU’s Georgia Policy Labs in collaboration with Achieve Atlanta, an educational nonprofit that partners with postsecondary institutions and other nonprofits to help Atlanta Public School students access, afford and earn postsecondary credentials.
“Achieve Atlanta has always been a data-forward organization,” says Jonathan Smith, associate professor of economics at Georgia State University, W.J. Usery Chair of the American Workplace and a faculty director with the Georgia Policy Labs. “But through Georgia Policy Labs, we’ve been able to connect Achieve Atlanta’s data to other organizations to better understand students’ circumstances, financial needs and outcomes in and through college. This has, for example, led to an expansion of the Achieve Atlanta scholarship to more students in the Atlanta Public Schools and [a recently] announced expansion into the Fulton County School District. Additionally, the collaboration and research have led to some programmatic changes within Achieve Atlanta and a better understanding of who benefits the most from the scholarship and under what circumstances.”
In this video you’ll see our bold, refreshed look and hear from members of the Achieve Atlanta community about our unwavering commitment to Atlanta’s students. Achieve Atlanta is more than a scholarship; it’s a journey. Join us on this journey as we continue to empower Scholars to achieve their dreams of postsecondary success and upward mobility.
Through it all, his dream school remained Tech. And with the help of his school support network and Achieve Atlanta, a local nonprofit providing resources and guidance to Atlanta students to navigate higher education opportunities, McCrary successfully submitted his first-year application and financial aid forms.
Atlanta Public Schools Awards Achieve Atlanta 2025 District Partner of the Year
Atlanta Public Schools (APS) celebrated its outstanding teachers, leaders, and partners at the 2025 APyeS! Awards on Saturday, November 1, at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta.
Achieve Atlanta was awarded the 2025 District Partner of the Year award based on the organization’s impact across the district. Over the last decade, Achieve Atlanta has supported APS in increasing college access and success for APS graduates, leading them on a path to upward mobility. Achieve Atlanta has also provided APS graduates with more than $65 million in scholarship funding for their higher education. Achieve Atlanta’s mission is to help students access, afford, and earn a postsecondary credential.
This special occasion also featured student performances from the South Atlanta High School Jazz Band, Booker T. Washington High School’s Bad to the Bone Dance Ensemble, the North Atlanta High School Virtuosi, and was hosted by FOX 5 Atlanta reporter Aungelique Proctor.
APS Superintendent Dr. Bryan Johnson was joined on stage by the members of the Atlanta Board of Education to present the awards to the evening’s honorees.
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