Thursday was a big day for Pittsburgh's high school seniors.
They celebrated their upcoming graduation and their commitment to more than 150 colleges and universities, trade schools, the work force and the military. They celebrated the announcement of a large donation from the PNC Foundation to the Pittsburgh Promise scholarship.
And they got a pep talk from Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier, who stood at the podium in Oakland's Soldiers and Sailors Museum and gave them some advice about overcoming adversity.
"Don't look down, don't have a sad face," he told them. "Continue to lean on the people you've leaned on your whole life. Continue to push forward. Just continue to stay positive. Continue to work your tail off."
The Pittsburgh Promise and Pittsburgh Public Schools hosted a "signing day" for more than 1,000 12th grade students, complete with a DJ and performance from the district's all-city choir.
As part of the event, the PNC Foundation and the Promise announced a 10-year, $2.5 million grant, bringing the organization's overall contributions to the scholarship foundation to $3.8 million.
"We're so honored to make this investment in the Pittsburgh Promise, the City of Pittsburgh and you all here today," said Sally McCrady, chairwoman and president of the PNC Foundation.
Promise Executive Director Saleem Ghubril said the gift brings the total amount raised for the 10-year-old Promise scholarships to more than $200 million toward a $265 million goal by 2028.
"We are honored and profoundly grateful to their ongoing commitment to the region, its young people and the future," Mr. Ghubril said about PNC in a statement. "
The 10-year-old Pittsburgh Promise has invested more than $119 million in scholarships to send more than 8,000 high school students on to a post-secondary institution. More than 2,400 Promise Scholars have graduated, Pittsburgh Promise officials said.
In January, the program announced that it would be reducing the maximum scholarship award to $5,000 from $7,500 and eliminating the "sliding scale" of residency requirement made different students eligible for different amounts based on how long they live in the city school district. Promise scholars can now also use the money to help pay for room and board at their post-secondary school.
First Published: May 3, 2018, 2:58 p.m.
Updated: May 3, 2018, 6:30 p.m.