Student Spotlight | Julien Gratton, Harbor Run

December 19, 2016

In 2000, the Alabama Affordable Housing Association (AAHA) created a scholarship program for residents of member-owned apartment properties in Alabama. The scholarship funds are donated by the owners, contractors, architects, accountants, property management companies, investors, lenders, developers, and various vendors that make up AAHA’s membership as well as other non-member individuals. Since its inception, the AAHA resident scholarship fund has awarded more than $500,000 in scholarships.

Meet Julien Gratton of Harbor Run in Theodore:

Julien Gratton was encouraged to apply for an AAHA resident scholarship by the manager of Harbor Run Apartments in Theodore, where he and his mother live. He said, “I thought it would be a great opportunity.”

Scholarship recipients receive a cash award, typically $1,500 annually, to help finance their college education. Gratton, along with the other 2016 scholarship winners, was honored during AAHA’s annual conference in May.

Gratton is applying the funds at Faulkner State Community College, where he is a sophomore studying animation, interactive technology, video graphics, and visual effects (CGI). The budding entertainer is well on his way, writing and producing short films for his own YouTube channel.

Gratton balances his time between school, work at The Grand Hotel in Point Clear, and his artistic endeavors. He said the scholarship funds will help relieve some of the stress that comes with being a working, commuting college student. “I don’t have as much of a struggle,” he said.

For more information about the resident scholarship program, please contact Arrice Faught, AAHA’s executive director at [email protected] or 205.331.8668.