To view an introduction to The Pittsburgh Promise, click here.
To read or view the stories of these Promise Scholars, click on the arrow to the right.
To read or view the stories of these Promise Scholars, click on the arrow to the right.
Julia
To hear Julia's story, click here.
Growing up in the South Side slopes of the city of Pittsburgh, Julia Cahill was interested in the fine arts from an early age. She pursued that love in the schools she attended; first at Arlington Elementary and continuing up through Rogers CAPA and CAPA High School.
Once Julia began high school she realized that she wanted more than just a diploma in the fine arts, she wanted to be a part of education as well as the arts. With this in mind Julia set her sights on a big goal. As the first person in her family to ever attend college she would have to work hard to make the grade. Julia's parents were dedicated to her dreams, but money for school just wasn't a possibility so Julia knew that her dream would have to be realized through her own merit.
With tons of family and teacher support Julia worked hard and earned excellent grades. Julia graduated from CAPA High School in 2008 with a 3.85 grade point average and big dreams to attend college. She was accepted to every school she applied to; but the one school she would be able to attend because of The Pittsburgh Promise Scholarship was right here in her home town. With her Promise Scholarship in hand, Julia became part of the first class of UPMC Pittsburgh Promise Scholars as she entered her freshman year at Carnegie Mellon University.
Julia's hard work and big dreams have so far carried through to her junior year as a fine arts major, with a GPA of 3.27. Julia remains committed to working hard and maintaining her scholarship even while working 3 jobs and maintaining a full course load, an undertaking she admits, "Is the most challenging transition I have had to learn. When I started college, time management had been the trickiest thing. It is difficult to balance so many responsibilities, but the experience has been a great source for personal growth and development." When asked what the most rewarding thing about this new journey has been, Julia spoke excitedly about the opportunity to be a part of the college community and the new relationships she has built with her sorority sisters.
Julia's words of encouragement to those younger students striving to see their dreams fulfilled, "take your time in high school seriously, realizing what you want to achieve."
And with hard work and big dreams, you too can have a future filled with Promise.
To hear Julia's story, click here.
Growing up in the South Side slopes of the city of Pittsburgh, Julia Cahill was interested in the fine arts from an early age. She pursued that love in the schools she attended; first at Arlington Elementary and continuing up through Rogers CAPA and CAPA High School.
Once Julia began high school she realized that she wanted more than just a diploma in the fine arts, she wanted to be a part of education as well as the arts. With this in mind Julia set her sights on a big goal. As the first person in her family to ever attend college she would have to work hard to make the grade. Julia's parents were dedicated to her dreams, but money for school just wasn't a possibility so Julia knew that her dream would have to be realized through her own merit.
With tons of family and teacher support Julia worked hard and earned excellent grades. Julia graduated from CAPA High School in 2008 with a 3.85 grade point average and big dreams to attend college. She was accepted to every school she applied to; but the one school she would be able to attend because of The Pittsburgh Promise Scholarship was right here in her home town. With her Promise Scholarship in hand, Julia became part of the first class of UPMC Pittsburgh Promise Scholars as she entered her freshman year at Carnegie Mellon University.
Julia's hard work and big dreams have so far carried through to her junior year as a fine arts major, with a GPA of 3.27. Julia remains committed to working hard and maintaining her scholarship even while working 3 jobs and maintaining a full course load, an undertaking she admits, "Is the most challenging transition I have had to learn. When I started college, time management had been the trickiest thing. It is difficult to balance so many responsibilities, but the experience has been a great source for personal growth and development." When asked what the most rewarding thing about this new journey has been, Julia spoke excitedly about the opportunity to be a part of the college community and the new relationships she has built with her sorority sisters.
Julia's words of encouragement to those younger students striving to see their dreams fulfilled, "take your time in high school seriously, realizing what you want to achieve."
And with hard work and big dreams, you too can have a future filled with Promise.
