San Antonio Spurs forward Harrison Barnes made waves Tuesday by donating $250,000 to the Alamo Promise program, a “last-dollar” scholarship that Alamo Colleges District offers to graduating seniors in Bexar County.
Along with his wife Brittany Barnes — a philanthropist and community advocate — the Spurs player made the gift in honor of Black History Month during an event at the Heritage Center of St. Philip’s College, the only San Antonio area school designated as a Historically Black College and University.
Barnes said his hope for scholarship recipients was for them to have options and opportunity.
“Basketball is what I chose,” Barnes said. “For these kids, I hope they have the opportunity to do whatever they want to do.”
According to Denise Blaz, a spokesperson for Alamo Colleges, 88% of Alamo Promise scholarship recipients are African American and Hispanic, and since fall 2020, more than 23,000 local students have taken advantage of the program.
Before the professional basketball player’s contribution, the program had raised $16.3 million in last-dollar scholarships for tuition and remaining fees at all five of the community college district’s campuses, funded through private donations.
Though Barnes is originally from Ames, Iowa, the basketball player said he and his wife make it a point to give back to the community they’re involved in. Playing for the Spurs, a team synonymous with the Alamo city, adds responsibility to give back, Barnes said.
San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg said Tuesday that Barnes’ donation didn’t just mean individual educational success for students, or contribute to a strong workforce and economic growth — it is a statement about the city’s values.
“It means that we can live up to the value that diversity is our strength, equity is our mission, and inclusion is the way,” Nirenberg said.
Last year, Senate Bill 17 went into effect, banning the use of state dollars on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs at Texas public universities. Since then, President Donald Trump signed an executive order Jan. 20 undoing all DEI programs in the federal government and the military.
In 2022, St. Philip’s College was named the only concurrent HBCU and Hispanic-Serving Institution, and currently has an enrollment of more than 18,000.
A’maya Lott is a freshman at St. Philip’s and an Alamo Promise scholarship recipient. Without Alamo Promise, Lott said she would have gone straight into working after graduating high school.
“I wouldn’t be going to college at all,” Lott said.
Lott is majoring in baking and pastry arts and is a dancer for the school’s Pearls of Distinction Dance group, a program which she helped to start last semester. Now that Lott is enrolled in college, she said Alamo Promise would allow her to start a career debt-free.
Alamo Promise’s “last-dollar” scholarships kick in after federal and state financial aid awards are applied to a student’s balance, for up to three years or until the student completes an associate degree or academic certificate.
Other college-related expenses such as textbooks, transportation and housing or technology equipment are not covered by the Alamo Promise program, but according to Alamo Colleges’ website, the program saves students $5,940 in tuition and allows them to choose from more than 300 degree and certificate programs.
The average cost to attend St. Philip’s College after aid is $5,273.
Students from public, charter, private and home schools are eligible to apply for the program as long as they graduated from high school in Bexar County and/or live in Bexar County.
Check here for a full list of participating high schools.
