Real estate depends strongly on a community’s educational system. While it might not be obvious, the relationship between the two is critical. The strength and curriculum of our schools draws people to our community. Education is also a significant factor when companies look to relocate or expand their operation in Chattanooga. Without quality education, our workforce and economic development suffer.
While not everyone chooses to pursue a higher education, many students feel they must in order to better themselves in certain career fields. This decision is often weighed against one’s ability to balance life goals and their financial means. The time I spent at Ole Miss and in Oxford, MS was crucial in making me who I am today. While I only completed a few years of my collegiate studies, I found that my on-hand work experience helped mold my work ethic and while academia was something I bypassed in my youth, the experience I acquired led me to where I am today. As Sir Walter Scott said, “All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.”
With all that being said, we as Realtors are committed to education, and I am thrilled that Greater Chattanooga Realtors® started a Community Scholarship Program. We established this fund to give back to our neighbors on behalf of our more than 2,500 members. These Scholarships assist incoming first-year college students attending an accredited university or trade school and living within Greater Chattanooga Realtors’ service area - Hamilton and Sequatchie counties in southeast Tennessee and Catoosa, Dade, and Walker counties in northwest Georgia.
Under the leadership of our 2020 President Brandi Pearl Thompson and 2021 President Robert Backer, Greater Chattanooga Realtors began the budgeting process to establish the fund, with 2022 as our launch year for its first recipients. All of us on the current Board of Directors are excited and dedicated to make this scholarship available for many years to come.
With so many deserving applicants, I am incredibly thankful to rely on our Consumer Education & Scholarship Committee to vet the applicants. In addition, this volunteer-driven committee is charged with facilitating programs throughout the year to educate young consumers about the home-buying process and careers in the real estate industry.
The Greater Chattanooga Realtors are accepting applications through the end of March and will announce the scholarship recipients in April. I encourage those interested to visit gcar.net/scholarship and complete the application.
Regardless of the industry in which you work, continually improving yourself through education and training makes us all the best we can be. We are never too old to stop investing time to better ourselves.
The Community Scholarship Program is just one more way that Greater Chattanooga Realtors gives back to the community that has given all of us so much. Realtors love serving our community. That’s Who We R®.