Waterbury Promise

Flashback Friday! 🎓
Our 5th Annual Scholar Celebration was a HUGE success, and we are IMMENSELY THANKFUL to everyone who joined us and helped make this annual event so impactful!

We gathered to celebrate student success, begin the important transition to college, and engage in meaningful workshops focused on building a sense of belonging on college campuses across Connecticut, developing essential skills, and strengthening financial literacy. These experiences inspired and empowered our scholars as they prepare to take these critical next steps toward their futures. Here’s a sneak peek at a few photo highlights, including our Lake Compounce Amusement Park community-building event the next day!

A special thank you to:
• Mayor Paul Pernerewski, Waterbury Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Darren Schwartz, WP Board Members and many of our community partners for joining us and supporting our scholars.
• Frank E. Brady, our incredible motivational speaker, for inspiring our students as they embark on this important next chapter.
• Our Scholar Ambassadors for volunteering their time, helping with setup, and sharing their personal experiences during our College Success panel.
• Regina Martin for her impactful presentation on college success that encouraged students to think outside the box.
• Julie Freeman and her M&T Bank team for providing an important—and very engaging—budgeting workshop.
• Ana Alfaro and the Eversource Energy volunteer team for helping with setup and guiding students throughout the event. Two of the volunteers even had relatives in attendance who are part of our newest cohort!
• Waterbury native and WP Board Member Judge Maurice Mosley for sharing his new memoir, Bishop Street to the Bench: An Improbable Journey. His story reminded our scholars that while challenges may come their way, their circumstances do not have to define their future.

And finally, thank you to Blayre Millo, Gabrielle Nocera and their staff at CT State Naugatuck Valley for being incredible hosts and making sure our event ran smoothly, RISE Balloon Designs LLC for the terrific decorations and Spirit Café for the delicious food that helped fuel scholars throughout the day!

We are so grateful to everyone who continues to invest and believe in our scholars. Here’s to celebrating their success and supporting them every step of the way!

Join our small but mighty team at Waterbury Promise!

We’re looking for a passionate, strategic Director of Development to help us build on our momentum, grow philanthropic partnerships, and expand opportunities for our Promise Scholars.

If you’re a relationship-builder, storyteller, fundraiser, and community-minded leader who believes in the power of education to transform lives, we want to hear from you!

Make an impact.
Build meaningful partnerships.
Help more Waterbury Scholars reach their goals.

Come be part of something BIG!

Apply today and help us keep the Promise!

Director of Development - Job Waterbury Promise is now hiring for the position of Director of Development in Waterbury. Apply today.

Waterbury Promise is thrilled to welcome 271 new scholars to our growing family as part of our 2026 Cohort! These incredible graduates from Waterbury Public Schools, W.F. Kaynor Technical High School, and Holy Cross High School stayed on track and finished their high school journey strong. Congratulations to each of you!

This fall, our scholars will begin the next chapter of their journey at 17 colleges and universities across Connecticut. Waterbury Promise will be there to support them every step of the way! Congratulations to the Class of 2026—we can't wait to see all you'll accomplish!

Watch for shoutouts and lots of photos from yesterday’s inspiring Scholar Celebration event! Welcome Cohort 2026!

Sponsor Our Team!

As an official charity partner of the Eversource Hartford Marathon, we need tons of local sponsors to support Team Promise and help us reach our $26,200 fundraising goal! Become a Gold, Silver or Bronze Medal sponsor today and ensure our more than 1,000 scholars this fall have the resources and support they need for success in college and beyond!

Sponsorship forms are available on our website at https://www.waterburypromise.org/events.html. Don’t miss out on the chance to have your corporate logo prominently displayed on Dr. Schwartz’s race day gear on October 10th!

Looking for another way to support Team Promise? Become a fundraising runner/walker and register for the marathon, half marathon, Team 26.2 Relay or the Charity 5K. Waterbury Promise will cover all race registration fees and will pick up and distribute race packets in Waterbury before the big day! There’s no need to pay online to have yours mailed to you! You can also sign up to be one of 30 volunteers or donate to our team or a specific member’s fundraising efforts. Check out our website for more details.

A HUGE thank you to all of the runners/walkers who have already registered and to everyone who has donated so far! Go Team Promise! 🏃🏾🏃🏼‍♀️🥇

Happy Fourth of July! Wishing everyone a safe and happy holiday! Our offices will be closed on July 3rd.

Thank you to all of our scholars who joined us for our tropical beach-themed Scholar Semi-Formal Celebration last Friday! 🌴☀️🌺

From dancing the night away and playing party games to celebrating the incredible Dean's List Scholars who attended, it was an evening full of laughter, memories, and well-deserved recognition. 🎉📚 We're so proud of everything our scholars have accomplished this year, and we loved celebrating each and every one of you. Thank you for making it a night to remember!

If you missed out and would like to be recognized for your achievements, let us know!!!! We are always looking for an opportunity to shout out how smart and talented our Waterbury Promise Scholars are!

📣 Waterbury Promise is hiring! Join our incredible team!

We are hiring for a full-time Director of College Success. This individual will:

• Serve as a senior leader responsible for the strategic direction, management, implementation, and continuous improvement of Waterbury Promise's college success and career readiness initiatives.
• Oversee all Reaching Forward programming and ensure exceptional support, engagement, persistence, graduation, and career outcomes for more than 1,100 Promise Scholars.
• Supervise college success staff and collaborate closely with organizational leadership to advance Waterbury Promise's mission and impact.
• Cultivate and maintain strategic partnerships with colleges, universities, employers, workforce organizations, community-based organizations, and public agencies.
• Develop systems and strategies to enhance scholar success and oversee data and evaluation efforts.

To access a copy of the full job description and to apply, click the link https://www.waterburypromise.org/join-our-team.html.

CONGRATULATIONS to all Class of 2026 graduates across Waterbury Public Schools, W.F. Kaynor Technical High School, and Holy Cross High School! Your hard work and dedication have led you to this incredible milestone!

The Waterbury Promise team was honored to attend graduations and celebrate alongside students, families, educators, and the community. A special shoutout to all of our incoming scholars who allowed us to capture these unforgettable moments!

As you enjoy a well-deserved summer, be sure to check your email regularly so you don't miss important updates from Waterbury Promise and your college or university.

Class of 2026 Waterbury Promise Scholars—we are excited to support you as you begin this next chapter!

Today, we recognize and celebrate Juneteenth—a day honoring freedom and resiliency. In observance of this important holiday, our office will be closed on June 19th.

Mark your calendars! Join Waterbury Promise at the Eversource Hartford Marathon on Saturday, October 10, 2026 in downtown Hartford! As an official Gold-Level Charity Partner, we’ve committed to recruit 50 fundraising runners/walkers and 30+ volunteers to join Team Promise, and are looking for sponsors to help us reach our $26,200 fundraising goal! Waterbury Promise will cover all race registration fees!

Dr. Darren Schwartz, Superintendent of Waterbury Public Schools, has graciously volunteered to be our Team Captain and is running the marathon on the big day. Not a marathoner? No problem. You can also sign up for the Half Marathon, Team 26.2 Relay (teams of 2-5) or the Charity 5K.

Visit the events page on our website at https://www.waterburypromise.org/events.html for links to register to run/walk, pre-register as a volunteer, donate to our team or learn more about sponsorship opportunities! With your support, our scholars will cross the finish line and earn a life-changing college degree!