Partnering with corporate entities is just one of the many ways that the University of Houston-Downtown (UHD) remains steadfast in its commitment to ensure its students’ achieve their academic dreams for future success.

AT&T Texas awarded the University a $40,000 gift as part of its Believe Houston^SM initiative (an extension of the larger company-wide initiative AT&T Believes ^SM), which aims to create positive change in Houston's Complete Communities. In recent years, the company launched AT&T Believes^SM in Chicago, New York, Dallas, Atlanta, New Orleans, adding Houston in 2019.

“Believe Houston’s mission is to ensure that youth in Houston’s Complete Communities have opportunities to succeed, and we are doing that by providing an opportunity for transfer students to continue education and pursue their dreams,” said Stacy Canady, Assistant Vice President, AT&T Texas. "We’re proud to work with University of Houston-Downtown to ensure this goal is fulfilled.”

This gift funds scholarships for transfer students who participate in UHD’s Accelerated Transfer Academy (ATA), which provides qualified transfer students with career development support and an enhanced transfer experience. Eleven students received substantial scholarships and a portion of this gift has been earmarked for experiential learning opportunities, such as career-relevant, community-based internships.

To qualify, students submitted essays on how their communities were impacted by COVID and how their major and eventual career would address these issues as a result of the pandemic. See the UHD students’ AT&T Thank You video.

The demographics of transfer students are vastly different than first-time-in college students. They’re usually older, support families, work full-time and have accumulated student loan debt.

“This is a really great opportunity for our transfer students who face a unique set of challenges and tend to have fewer opportunities for scholarships,” said Krysti Turnquest, Project Director of Title V Accelerated Transfer Academy, UHD Office of Institutional Effectiveness. “AT&T’s gift will go a long way to help these students accomplish their goals. We are here to do anything we can do to help these students overcome any hurdles that may stand in their way to graduating, which will ultimately change their lives and their families’ lives.”

The mission of Houston Complete Communities, launched in April 2017 as a citywide initiative to revitalize Houston’s most under-resourced neighborhoods, is to create a more equitable and prosperous city for all Houstonians by working with local stakeholders and cross-sector partners to improve designated neighborhoods through civic engagement, relationship-building with civic leaders, and programs dedicated to economic empowerment. These neighborhood communities are: Acres Home, Alief - Westwood, Fort Bend, Houston, Gulfton, Kashmere Gardens, Magnolia Park – Manchester, Near Northside, Second Ward, Sunnyside, and Third Ward. 

“When I learned about Believe Houston^SM, I saw a clear alignment between AT&T’s goals in our community, and an opportunity to make a positive difference for our students,” said Jacob Lipp, Director of University Advancement, UHD Division of Advancement & University Relations. “Almost a third of UHD students make their homes in Houston’s Complete Communities, so we know that great things have been happening in these neighborhoods for a long time. We’re excited to partner with AT&T, and we’re grateful to the City of Houston and Mayor Turner for shining a bright light on these great communities and our fellow Houstonians who call them home.”