Bank of America/Merrill Lynch made a $2,500 donation to the Gateway to College program.

Bank of America/Merrill Lynch made a $2,500 donation to the Gateway to College program.  The funds are designated for textbooks for students in the program that serves high school dropouts age 17 – 20 who meet specific eligibility criteria and live in Anderson, Oconee, and Pickens counties.  Using a dual credit model, students earn both high school and college credit, and may simultaneously complete both the high school diploma (meeting all requirements of the South Carolina Department of Education) and a postsecondary credential.

Here, Stacy Brandon, senior vice president for Bank of America and Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner, and Smith Inc., second from left, presented the check.  Also pictured from left are John Lummus, vice president for Economic Development and Institutional Advancement; Susan Allen, associate vice president for Academic Affairs; Jessica Bellamy, a graduate of the Gateway program and now a student in our University Transfer program; and Gary Duncan, a member of the Foundation Board.  Jessica, of Westminster, who graduated from West Oak High School in Aug 2010, earned 44 college credits at Tri-County and maintained a GPA of 2.6.