In 2000, the Alabama Affordable Housing Association (AAHA) created an education 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 $750,000 in college and vocational scholarships.
A resident of Cornerstone Apartments in Alexander City with her mother and her younger brother, Paris is a 2019 graduate of Benjamin Russell High School and started her college career at Central Alabama Community College.
“I want to go to our local community college, Central Alabama Community College, and later transfer to South Alabama for pre-med, get into medical school, and become an OB-GYN,” she said.
Composed and focused, Morgan was a very involved student, including serving as co-captain of the cheerleading squad, in addition to holding down a part-time job. "I worked at Dominos," she said. "Having a job … that was just extra money that was coming in. It really showed me how to be organized.”
Since she is a resident of Cornerstone, a 56-unit family development financed in part by HOME Investment Partnerships Program funds and Housing Credits administered by AHFA, Morgan was able to apply for the AAHA scholarship. "We’ve been living there ever since I was in second grade,” she said. “Cornerstone is very lovely and peaceful. We love it.”
As a 2019 AAHA scholarship winner, Morgan will receive $1,500 to use toward her college expenses. “It’s going to benefit me a lot,” she said. “I don’t want to go into debt. That’s one thing I really don’t want to do. This scholarship will help keep me out of debt.”
The first child in her family to go to college, Morgan is excited about the challenges ahead of her. "I get to be a role model, but it’s pretty exciting just to have my mom happy,” she said. “The most exciting thing is that I get to venture into a new environment and a new setting … to do something different.”
Morgan, along with the other 2019 scholarship recipients, was honored during AAHA’s annual conference last May. For more information about the resident scholarship program, please contact Arrice Faught, AAHA’s executive director, at [email protected] or 205.758.1158.