Briana
2008 Schenely High School Graduate
2008 UPMC Scholar of The Pittsburgh Promise 

 

Briana Smith, a 2008 Schenley High School graduate, will likely have the distinction of being the first UPMC Scholar of The Pittsburgh Promise to graduate with a 4 year college degree. Brianna has set her sights on graduating from Robert Morris University in December 2011, a semester earlier than the rest of the class of 2008. This young woman is anxious to bring her college education and skills to Pittsburgh’s workforce. Briana says, “By graduating in December, I can get ahead of the curve in getting a job and save some money.”

 

As a Professional Communication and Information Systems major, last summer Briana supplemented her education through an internship at PNC Bank working in the Continuous Improvement Department.

Briana’s impressive list of activities at Robert Morris makes her high GPA even more of an achievement. During her time at Robert Morris, she was a founding member and Vice President of Event Planning of The Pittsburgh Promise cohort. She also served as Vice President of the Black Student Union and was President of Zeta Phi Beta sorority, where she planned fundraisers for the March of Dimes and for children in Ghana. She was inducted into the National Society of Collegiate Scholars and was named a National Residence Hall Honoree, an honor bestowed upon the top 1% of the students at RMU.

Briana is delighted that she stayed in Pittsburgh to attend college. She looked at many schools outside of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, but when The Promise was announced, she decided that choosing a school where she could use her Promise Scholarship would provide the greatest benefit to her and her family.

We are glad The Promise kept Briana’s talents in Pittsburgh and that she will part of the next generation of leaders to bring promise to the future of the region.