FORSYTH COUNTY, N.C. — Many teenagers who just graduated high school are getting ready to start a new chapter.
It's a fresh start in college after a chaotic couple of years in the pandemic, and for some, it will be free, thanks to a statewide grant.
"I feel stress-free and I feel much more confident," Alexa Talbott said. "I am obviously very grateful to have the opportunity to go to college for free."
When Talbott steps onto Forsyth Tech's campus for her first classes, she'll do it with costs covered by the community college.
Forsyth Tech's Class of 2021 College Commitment offers free tuition, books, and fees to North Carolina high school graduates in the class of 2021 for one year.
For Talbott, like many, high school graduation came after a tough year and a half in the pandemic.
"My grades did drop tremendously over being on Zoom," Talbott said. "Being a teenager and having two jobs and being 18 years old, it's kind of hard to pay for colleges and try to do it all by yourself."
Forsyth Tech's program is funded in large part by the Longleaf Grant, created from the Governor's Emergency Education Relief Fund. Students elsewhere will also benefit.
Those Longleaf Grant funds are available to all North Carolina high school graduates in the Class of 2021, regardless of grades. They have to be used at the state's community colleges and only cover tuition costs at many other schools.
Guilford Technical Community College Financial Aid Director Lisa Koretoff said she's getting a lot of phone calls from interested parents and students.
"I hope folks who have graduated from high school this year see this as the great opportunity that we see it as and will take advantage of it before it disappears," Koretoff said.
WFMY News 2's Grace Holland reached out to several Triad community colleges and asked if they've seen an uptick in enrollment since the grant was announced.
GTCC, Forsyth Tech, and Davidson-Davie Community College all said it's too early to say for sure.
Talbott hopes to transfer to a university after two years at Forsyth Tech. She is excited to attend school close to her Winston-Salem home. Her mom is also a Forsyth Tech graduate who got her degree while parenting and working.
"I’m not dreading that I get to go to a community college because I feel like there’s nothing wrong with that," Talbott said. "I think it’s amazing what they’ve done for us, and I know at the end of the two years, I’ll be able to go to a university."
She plans to seek a degree in criminal justice and take full advantage of the costs Forsyth Tech will cover.
"It makes me want to do my best for them and show them that I deserved it," Talbott said.
Forsyth Tech said it currently only has the funds to do the program for one year but it hopes to find additional funding to continue it.
2021 high school graduates who want to use the Longleaf Grant must apply at a North Carolina community college and complete their FAFSA application.
Even if you think you won't qualify for the financial assistance, you must complete the FAFSA to be eligible for the Longleaf Grant.