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Community Changemaker Spotlight: The Pittsburgh Promise
At A Second Chance, Inc. (ASCI), we recognize organizations that are creating pathways, expanding opportunities, and investing in the future of young people. The Pittsburgh Promise is one such changemaker, helping Pittsburgh students pursue their goals beyond high school through education, coaching, mentorship, and personalized support. Through its commitment to ensuring students have access to resources and opportunities, The Pittsburgh Promise continues to strengthen young people, families, and communities throughout the region.
The Impact of The Pittsburgh Promise
The Pittsburgh Promise’s impact extends well beyond scholarships. According to the organization’s current Impact page, The Pittsburgh Promise has provided more than $265 million in scholarships and has Promise alumni working across more than 730 companies. The organization also tracks outcomes related to Pittsburgh Public Schools graduation rates, post-secondary persistence, and college graduation.
These numbers demonstrate what can happen when young people have access to financial resources, trusted adults, mentorship, and guidance as they plan for life after high school.
Creating Pathways Beyond High School
The transition after high school can look different for every student. While some students pursue four-year colleges, others explore trade programs, career training, or opportunities in the workforce. The Pittsburgh Promise works to ensure students have the guidance and support needed to make informed decisions about their futures.
Through coaching and individualized support, students receive assistance with college applications, FAFSA completion, campus visits, career exploration, trade opportunities, and workforce preparation. Bishop Gethers, Manager of Westinghouse Coaching at The Pittsburgh Promise, believes every student deserves access to the information and resources needed to create a successful path forward.
We help kids with their pathway after high school. Whatever that looks like. It could be college, the trades, or the workforce. We want to make sure students have what they need to be successful.
–Bishop Gethers
By meeting students where they are, The Pittsburgh Promise helps young people identify opportunities that align with their strengths, goals, and aspirations.
A Personal Mission Rooted in Experience
For Bishop Gethers, supporting students is more than a profession, it is a continuation of his own journey.
As a Pittsburgh Promise graduate, Bishop understands the impact that access, encouragement, and community support can have on a young person’s future. After receiving the Pittsburgh Promise scholarship, he attended Slippery Rock University, where he played football and continued building toward his own goals. Today, he is returning that same support to students across Pittsburgh.
I got the Pittsburgh Promise scholarship, went to Slippery Rock for four years, and played football. Now, I work for the Pittsburgh Promise and I love helping youth reach their destiny.
Bishop Gethers
For Bishop, this work represents the power of investing in young people and creating opportunities that allow students to envision what is possible.
Expanding Opportunities Through Early Investment
Many students have ambition and potential, but they may not always know what opportunities exist or how to access them. Bishop believes early exposure, mentorship, and guidance can help students discover possibilities they may not have considered.
Getting to these kids earlier, letting them know what opportunities they have, what resources they have, and how they can attain those things is very important. We want to make sure they are well-educated and can provide resources to their own communities when they do come back.
Bishop Gethers
By connecting students with resources and trusted adults, The Pittsburgh Promise helps young people build confidence and recognize that their goals are achievable. That investment strengthens the entire community.
Removing Barriers and Supporting the Whole Student
Success after high school requires more than financial support. Students often face challenges outside of the classroom that can impact their ability to focus on their education and future goals. The Pittsburgh Promise recognizes that students may need support with resources, encouragement, problem-solving, and access to caring adults who believe in their potential.
We do whatever it is that is needed to the best of our ability. Sometimes that means just being a listening ear, providing students with clothes or shoes, helping if they are hungry, or creating a safe space where they can grow and thrive.
–Bishop Gethers
For students navigating unique circumstances, including those in care, individualized support and flexibility can make a meaningful difference. Having trusted adults who understand their experiences, advocate for their needs, and provide consistent encouragement can help students overcome barriers, build confidence, and stay connected to their educational goals.
For youth involved in kinship care, foster care, or other supportive services, programs like The Pittsburgh Promise can provide important pathways to educational and career opportunities. Access to caring adults, mentorship, and post-secondary planning reflects a shared commitment to helping young people envision and achieve successful futures.
For ASCI families, community resources like The Pittsburgh Promise can become an important extension of the support already available to children and caregivers. Through educational advocacy, youth programming, caregiver support, and trauma-informed services, ASCI helps families navigate challenges, identify resources, and connect young people with opportunities that support their goals beyond high school.
When students feel supported beyond the classroom, they are better positioned to recognize their strengths, pursue opportunities, and achieve success on their own terms.
Beyond Scholarships: Building Confidence and Belief
While scholarships provide important financial support, Bishop believes students also need encouragement, information, and someone to help them see what is possible.
Sometimes these kids come from environments where they don’t know what they don’t know,” he explained. “Once you show them that there is a way, it creates a natural drive within that kid to want to go out and achieve.
–Bishop Gethers
Through partnerships with families, schools, counselors, and community organizations, The Pittsburgh Promise helps create a network of support around students. Bishop believes representation and connection are powerful tools in helping young people recognize their own potential.
Everybody has something to offer to the youth. You never know what that child is interested in. There’s power in representation.
Bishop Gethers
The Power of Community Collaboration
Creating meaningful opportunities for young people requires a community committed to showing up for the next generation. Families, schools, businesses, mentors, and community organizations all play an important role in helping students identify opportunities, overcome barriers, and pursue their goals.
Bishop Gethers believes every person has something valuable to contribute to the success of young people. Whether through mentorship, career connections, financial literacy education, professional experience, or simply being a trusted adult who offers encouragement, community members can help students recognize possibilities they may not have considered for themselves.
It’s one big community. Everybody has something to offer youth to help them realize that there is a lot out there and open their eyes to the opportunities they have.
-Bishop Gethers
Through collaboration and shared responsibility, communities can create stronger support systems that help students access resources, build confidence, and take steps toward their future goals.
A Message of Encouragement for Students and Families
For students who may question whether college, career training, or other opportunities are within their reach, Bishop encourages them to seek information, ask questions, and explore the pathways available to them. He believes many students underestimate what is possible simply because they have not yet been exposed to the resources and support systems designed to help them succeed.
Bishop encourages students to identify what they are passionate about and work with trusted adults to create a realistic plan for reaching their goals. While financial concerns or uncertainty may feel overwhelming, understanding available resources can help students see that their dreams may be more attainable than they realize.
For caregivers and community members, Bishop emphasizes the importance of being a source of encouragement and opportunity. Every interaction with a young person has the potential to influence their confidence, choices, and future.
We all have something to give. Never minimize what you do because you never know what that child is interested in. Be that light for that child. You never know what that child is interested in. Be that light for that child.
–Bishop Gethers
Connecting Families to Additional Support
Opportunities like those offered by The Pittsburgh Promise are one part of the larger network of support that can help young people build successful futures. For children and youth in kinship care, having an organization that understands the unique needs of their families can be equally important.
Through educational advocacy, youth programming, caregiver support, and trauma-informed services, ASCI helps children and caregivers navigate challenges while connecting them with resources that support their academic, social, and personal development.
For families connected to ASCI, these services can provide additional support as young people explore their interests, prepare for life after high school, and navigate educational and career opportunities. Caregivers can also connect with ASCI for guidance, advocacy, and resources designed to support the whole family.
Families can explore ASCI resources and learn more about available support through:
Connecting young people to opportunity takes a village. When families, schools, community organizations, and caring adults work together, young people are better positioned to see what is possible—and pursue it.
Continuing the Promise
The Pittsburgh Promise is proof that education, mentorship, and community investment can create lasting pathways for young people. Through coaching, advocacy, and meaningful connections, the organization helps students build confidence, access opportunities, and pursue their goals.
For Bishop Gethers, the mission is personal. As a former Pittsburgh Promise recipient who now supports students through the same program that helped shape his journey, he represents the lasting impact of investing in young people.
The Pittsburgh Promise reminds students that their futures are not defined by their circumstances, but by the support, opportunities, and belief they receive along the way.
To learn more about The Pittsburgh Promise, visit their website.
For additional resources and supports for children, youth, and families, explore ASCI’s website.
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