Promise Program removing tuition costs, helping students focus on education
ONE. WELCOME BACK. COVERING THE TREASURE COAST. TODAY WE’RE HIGHLIGHTING THE PROMISE PROGRAM. IT GIVES TREASURE COAST STUDENTS AN OPPORTUNITY TO ATTEND INDIAN RIVER STATE COLLEGE WITH TWO YEARS OF TUITION FULLY COVERED. JOINING ME NOW IS BECKY SHER, CHIEF RETENTION OFFICER. WE ALSO HAVE CHLOE ATALA HERE A PROMISE STUDENT. WELCOME TO BOTH OF YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE. THANK YOU. SO WE’LL START WITH YOU, BECKY. AND WHAT THE PROMISE PROGRAM IS. THE PROMISE PROGRAM AT INDIAN RIVER STATE COLLEGE IS AN AMAZING OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR 2026 HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES ON THE TREASURE COAST TO ATTEND INDIAN RIVER STATE COLLEGE TUITION FREE. OKAY. AND WHO IS ELIGIBLE? YOU JUST SAID WHOEVER GRADUATED FROM 2026 FROM HIGH SCHOOL. YEP. AS HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES THAT JUST GRADUATED 2026, WE WANT THEM TO ENROLL FULL TIME IN OUR FALL SEMESTER, AND WE’RE GOING TO HELP THEM EARN THEIR DEGREE. OKAY, SO IT’S NOT TOO LATE. THEN THEY CAN STILL APPLY. THEY CAN STILL APPLY. WONDERFUL. OKAY, WE’LL GET INTO THAT IN JUST A MOMENT. BUT CHLOE, I WANT TO TALK ABOUT JUST YOUR JOURNEY AND THE PATH THAT YOU TOOK TO GET TO HERE. YEAH, IT HAS BEEN AN INCREDIBLE, INCREDIBLE JOURNEY SO FAR. I AM IN MY FIRST YEAR RIGHT NOW MAJORING IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE. IT HAS BEEN AMAZING. IN MY OPINION, IT’S MORE THAN JUST A TUITION FREE PROGRAM. IT IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU TO EXPLORE DIFFERENT CAREER PATHS, BEING SUCCESSFUL WITH A LOT OF AVAILABLE RESOURCES. I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO COMFORTABLY BE ABLE TO REGISTER FOR CLASSES WITH A LOT OF HELP. COURSES HAVE BEEN REALLY EASY TO UNDERSTAND THROUGH REALLY, REALLY AMAZING PROFESSORS. WOW. WELL, CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT ABOUT THE PROGRAM AND HOW DID YOU APPLY? WHAT DO YOU WANT TO TELL STUDENTS WHO MAYBE ARE WATCHING? YEAH. SO I HEARD ABOUT THE PROMISE PROGRAM THROUGH SOMERSET COLLEGE PREPARATORY ACADEMY. THIS IS THE HIGH SCHOOL THAT I GRADUATED IN FROM IN 2025. IT WAS DURING MY SENIOR YEAR OF HIGH SCHOOL WHEN MY WHEN THE HIGH SCHOOL HOSTED AN INFORMATIONAL MEETING AND THERE WAS A COUPLE STAFF FROM IRS WHO CAME IN AND SPOKE ABOUT THE PROMISE PROGRAM, HOW TO APPLY, HOW IT’S MORE THAN JUST A TUITION FREE PROGRAM, HOW THERE’S A LOT OF EVENTS HAPPENING ON CAMPUS THAT YOU CAN ATTEND, AND YOU WERE ABLE TO EXPERIENCE ALL OF THAT ONCE YOU STARTED THERE. YEAH. THAT’S AMAZING. OKAY. SO BECKY, WHAT DO YOU WANT TO TELL PEOPLE WHO WANT TO APPLY? WHEN IS THE DEADLINE? THE BEST ADVICE IS VISIT OUR WEBSITE, IRS.EDU AND SEARCH. PROMISE ALL THE INSTRUCTIONS ARE RIGHT THERE ONLINE. THE DEADLINE IS JULY 13TH BECAUSE THERE IS SOME PAPERWORK THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE TO EARN THAT TUITION FREE DEGREE, BUT WE COME INTO ANY OF OUR FIVE CAMPUSES ON THE TREASURE COAST, AND THERE WILL BE STAFF THERE AVAILABLE TO ASSIST YOU WITH THE ENTIRE PROCESS. AND HOW CAN THE COMMUNITY GET INVOLVED IN SUPPORTING THE PROGRAM? SO THIS PROGRAM IS FREE TO SUPPORTED BY OUR LOCAL DONORS. AND NOT ONLY OUR INDIVIDUALS, BUT OUR BUSINESSES IN THE COMMUNITY ON THE TREASURE COAST ARE STARTING TO SEE THE BENEFITS THAT THESE STUDENTS ARE GRADUATING WITH THEIR AA DEGREE, AND THEY’RE COMING BACK TO SAINT LUCIE COUNTY, INDIAN RIVER COUNTY, MARTIN COUNTY AND OKEECHOBEE COUNTY, AND THEY’RE BECOMING OUR SKILLED WORKFORCE, WHICH IS ALWAYS MY GOAL IS TO KEEP THE STUDENTS AND PEOPLE THERE FROM THE AREA, IN THE AREA. OKAY. WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH TO BOTH OF YOU FOR BEING HERE. THAT WEBSITE THAT BECKY GAVE YOU IS ON OUR WEBSITE RIGHT NOW, WPBF.COM. JUST HEAD THERE. YOU CAN WAT
Promise Program removing tuition costs, helping students focus on education
Updated: 9:55 AM EDT Jun 19, 2026
The Promise Program gives Treasure Coast students the opportunity to attend Indian River State College with two years of tuition fully covered. Becky Shearer, Chief Retention Officer, and Chloe Atallah, a Promise student, stopped by our studio to talk more about the program. Stay up to date: The latest headlines and weather from WPBF 25For more information, click here.Get the latest weather updates with the WPBF 25 News app. You can download it here.
The Promise Program gives Treasure Coast students the opportunity to attend Indian River State College with two years of tuition fully covered. Becky Shearer, Chief Retention Officer, and Chloe Atallah, a Promise student, stopped by our studio to talk more about the program.
Stay up to date: The latest headlines and weather from WPBF 25
For more information, click here.
Get the latest weather updates with the WPBF 25 News app. You can download it here.