ABOUT US

The Athens StepUp Scholarship Program recognizes students who have overcome significant obstacles to pursue their education.  With the assistance from donors, we are hoping to enable more students who are financially disadvantaged and have had difficult lives with roadblocks to success, to continue on a lucrative path to a prosperous and happy future.  Through higher education, students can break the cycle of poverty, and create a brighter and more rewarding future for themselves as well as their families.

The dropout rate for low income and at-risk students is a growing problem in Athens, GA.  The cost of college is beyond many students; even those with a full tuition scholarship.  Athens/ Clarke County is eighth in the country in the disparity between the wealth of the country and the poverty existing in it.

The Athens StepUp Scholarship Program was an idea derived from the community and family in which our founder and Executive Director, Hattie Thomas Whitehead grew up.