Recipient Profiles
Tech Promise
Duane Carver
Duane Carver, a 2007 graduate of Brunswick (Georgia) High School whose enrollment at Tech this fall was made possible by a Georgia Tech Promise scholarship, has much in common with his new classmates. He’s exceedingly bright and highly accomplished, having been named one of only 105 Horatio Alger National Scholars for 2007. Fittingly, the award recognizes students who have demonstrated integrity and perseverance in overcoming adversity. And it’s the level of that adversity that sets Carver apart from his fellow classmates.
After Carver’s parents divorce when he was in eighth grade, he, his mother, and his sister ended up homeless. They lived in their mother’s car for a while and stayed at an old church with no heat or running water. Although his mother objected, 14-year-old Carver went to work, juggling a series of low-wage jobs while going to school full time. By his sophomore year, Carver and his mother had saved enough money to move into a house. Ramshackle and rat-infested with a leaking roof and no heat, it was the best they could do.
Last year, the family was able to move into a better home. Carver switched jobs and began working about forty-five hours a week while still carrying a full academic load at school. Carver, who hopes to mentor other young people, believes there is no obstacle that can’t be overcome with honesty, hard work, faith, and education.
“Life’s hurdles only make you stronger,” he said. “All these things have made me a stronger individual.”
Carver is a member of the inaugural class of approximately 200 Georgia Tech Promise scholars. The Tech Promise offers debt-free education to Georgia undergraduate students with annual family income of $30,000 or less. Students who receive Georgia Tech Promise scholarships are required to maintain a GPA of at least 2.0 and earn at least $1,250 per semester through work-study or other work arrangements to offset educational expenses.
