West Palm Beach, Fla. ( March 14, 2024) Palm Beach Atlantic (PBA) University is committed to serving its students, and on Monday, March 18, the university is hosting its annual Philanthropy Day, celebrating the generosity of so many donors who have made the dreams of PBA students become a reality. Among those students are Genesis Del Valle and Jermaine Hunter, two individuals whose lives were changed by the scholarships they received.
Del Valle, a native of West Palm Beach, Florida, graduated from high school in 2021, but she chose to put her dream of attending college on hold to care for her mother, who had become severely ill.
“I had to take a break from school so that I could work and pay the bills,” she explained. She accepted a job working for Sciame Construction, and one day while she was working on a job site, she ran into Timothy Sotos, PBA’s Chairman of the Board.
“He was asking me about my dreams and aspirations,” Del Valle said. “I told him about my goal of being a neuroscientist with the hope of one day finding a cure for Alzheimer’s.”
Sotos reached out to Dr. Nancy Brainard, PBA’s Vice President for Enrollment Management, and in 2023, after receiving two different scholarships, Del Valle was enrolled in classes. She is currently following her dream of studying Behavioral Neuroscience.
“It was almost as if God had sent [Sotos],” Del Valle said. “It felt like God had answered all of my prayers right then and there.”
Hunter grew up in Delray Beach, Florida, bouncing around from house to house in foster care. “It wasn’t easy,” he explained. “I wasn’t always the best kid and was always getting in trouble for little things here and there.” In middle school, however, he joined his basketball team and that is when things changed for him. “After finding that outlet, my grades and behavior started to improve.”
Hunter graduated from Jupiter Christian High School, which is where he found out about PBA. He was excited about attending, but he wasn’t sure how it was going to work without scholarships. Thankfully, due to the generosity of several donors, Hunter is now attending PBA. He is studying ministry and wants to mentor the next generation.
“I am so thankful for the donors that are helping support me, it has really blessed me, and now I am able to pour all my attention into my academics. I want to apply myself and continue to grow, and they are helping make that possible.”
At PBA, every contribution goes towards providing students with a transformational educational experience that prepares students to become Christ-like, servant leaders in their field. For more information on PBA’s Philanthropy Day, please contact the Office of Development at 561.803.2777 or development@pba.edu To learn more about giving opportunities at PBA, click here.
