Taking Flight: Southwest Airlines Celebrates Paul Quinn College's Class of 2024

Southwest Airlines, the official airline of Paul Quinn College, celebrated Paul Quinn College's graduating class of 2024 at graduation celebrations on Friday, May 3, and Saturday, May 4.

Southwest Airlines honored students, faculty, and staff at a barbeque cookout and surprised Paul Quinn's faculty and staff with raffle prizes for roundtrip tickets.

During Paul Quinn's commencement ceremony, Laura Nieto, Managing Director Corporate Responsibility, celebrated graduating senior Curtis Ferguson as the first Paul Quinn student intern at Southwest to accept a full-time position at the airline following his participation in the Paul Quinn Corporate Work Program and surprised each graduate with a roundtrip ticket to any Southwest destination!

"At Southwest Airlines, we are driven by our purpose to connect people to what is important in their lives. That means connecting students to people, places, and experiences that will continue their educational journey as they step out into the world and the next chapter of their life," said Laura Nieto, Managing Director Corporate Responsibility.

Southwest Airlines announced its official partnership with Paul Quinn to support its Corporate Work Program in Fall 2022. It includes dedicated, paid internships specifically for students at the College and ongoing educational and workforce development opportunities.

Throughout the partnership, Southwest Airlines has continued to provide roundtrip flights to the College for the travel needs of students, athletes, and faculty.

Southwest Airlines kicked off the school year, celebrating students and staff at the Paul Quinn Convocation ceremony, and later, the Southwest Employee Resource Group, Black Excellence Advancing Together, selected Paul Quinn College to receive a community grant.

In February, Southwest Airlines selected Paul Quinn College President Dr. Michael J. Sorrell as the keynote speaker at its Black History Month celebration. The event inspired everyone in attendance, and the award-winning Paul Quinn choir performed beautiful renditions of "Lift Every Voice and Sing" and "Melodies from Heaven."

Paul Quinn is the creator of the Urban Work College model and the only minority-serving, federally-recognized work college in America. The program, which started in 2015, allows students to gain real-world work experience while limiting their reliance on student loans. Paul Quinn's Corporate Work Program allows students to significantly lower student loan costs, with students graduating with less than $10,000 in student loan debt.

Southwest Airlines has long believed that educated communities are empowered communities and continues to invest in workforce development programs that introduce students to a diverse set of career opportunities in the aviation industry.

Congratulations to the Paul Quinn Class of 2024!

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