COBB COUNTY. Ga. — Marietta High School students starting this fall will have the chance to graduate with more than just a diploma.
They could leave with up to $1,000 through the “Be Somebody” fund. The program aims to help kids earn money while they learn how to handle it.
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“I’m very excited. I’ve heard a lot of good things about high school, and I can’t wait to start,” said Tamia Carthers, a rising freshman at Marietta High School.
She told Channel 2 she participates in theatre and manages the wrestling team. She plans on taking advantage of the “Be Somebody” program.
Starting this school year, freshman will be able to earn $250 each year by meeting specific requirements. And be the first graduating class in 2029 to receive the money.
“It’s just going to really encourage the things that they should be doing in high school, completing the SAT,” says JoEve Carthers, Tamia’s mom, who loves the idea.
Tamia says this can benefit families who may be tight on money, “getting to graduate with $1,000 and then getting to use that money wherever you need is real cool.”
Which is exactly why the program, funded by Georgia’s PEACH education tax credit as well as direct donations to the Cobb Community Foundation, was created.
“While a lot of organizations in the community have really fantastic scholarship programs for our students, the truth is only a small number of our students qualify and receive those scholarships,” said Kimberly Blass, the Chief Impact Officer at Marietta City Schools.
She says by comparison, nearly every student in high school will have the chance to earn money.
- Freshman - participate in the state’s youth science program to determine what career pathway interests them.
- Sophomores - complete service projects and PSATS.
- Juniors - take a financial literacy course.
- Seniors - work with advisors to figure out what path they’ll take after graduation.
Each step they complete gets them $250. Money they can use for whatever they want.
More information will be available to families this fall.
“...and if a student wants to use the check to help their parents pay rent or put a down payment on a car because they need that to get to their job, we want to show them that we trust their judgment and we want them to use it for something where they think they need it to get their next step,” said Blass
Tamia’s parents say paying for college is top of the list after recently sending another child to college,“...that’s not cheap,” she Carthers, “It all adds up really, really quick, and that’s not something I think you’re prepared for.”
The Georgia Peach Education Tax Credit program, one of the ways this program is funded, allows you to direct your state income tax directly to the be somebody program.
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