Carol Pittman is a strong-willed entrepreneur who recognizes that the journey to fulfilling your dreams can be long and challenging.

Carol PittmanMaybe that’s why she named her consulting company after the red knot sandpiper—a bird that, according to the National Audubon Society, migrates from the Arctic Circle to the distant shores of South America and Australia.

Pittman’s journey to becoming a successful business owner began in 1997 when, as a single mother of two, she decided to pursue a degree in communication studies at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

“It was important to me to spend time with something that I would find truly interesting and would also serve me in my career. It felt like such a good fit,” said Pittman, founder and CEO of RedKnot Resource Group, a company that specializes in consulting on third-party risk management and bank mergers in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Asia.

Pittman was coming off a 10-year break from higher education and was also working at the American Cancer Society (ACS) when she enrolled at UAB. It was a busy season of life that required long days and even longer nights. It didn’t stop her, though.

“My days started very early—I would wake up and study before my kids were up,” said Pittman. “I’d get them ready for school, drop them off, work all day, [then] my mom would get them at daycare so I could go directly to class at UAB. Then, I’d come home in time to tuck them in, then I’d start all over again. From 1998 to 2003, I got all that done and graduated with honors.”

Thankfully, while attending UAB, she received support and mentorship from her supervisors at ACS and later at SouthTrust Bank—both mentors also happened to be fellow UAB alumni.

“[They] were very flexible with me in attending classes. They were great resources for supporting my own goal of finishing school,” said Pittman. “My gratitude for their willingness to support me in my UAB journey is also important in helping people now and making time for that.”

As a first-generation college student, Pittman viewed attaining a bachelor’s degree as a sign to herself—and future generations—that no barrier is too high to overcome. And it sparked her desire to advocate for and promote generational change.

Now, as an entrepreneur who runs a successful certified woman-owned business enterprise (WBE), she is ready to further invest in that generational change through the newly established Carol Trull Pittman Endowed Scholarship.

“I felt like someone with my background could give hope to someone,” said Pittman. “[I’m] from a rural community and a small school [and] was encouraged by teachers and family nonetheless. I had a goal of [getting] an education and being an entrepreneur. A lot of people might have dismissed my ability to succeed at those things because [I was a first-generation college student]. I want to help people to see the possibilities… I want to make it about others who may be on a similar path or journey to my own.”

Pittman’s scholarship is available to incoming freshmen in the College of Arts and Sciences. That said, she does hope students from her hometown of Corner, Alabama, will seek out the opportunity. Specifically, she wants these students to know that the journey may be long but that there are people in the community who believe in them and want to support their future success.

“For the students who have been working hard, I felt like it was another way to recognize that what they’re trying to do is important,” said Pittman. “They’re at the very beginning and there are people who believe in them while they’re embarking on the next phase of the journey. And, so, when you make a financial commitment like this, [it’s my way of saying], ‘I’m believing in you as you’re embarking on this next part of your journey—you may have challenges, but you can do it.’”

The College of Arts and Sciences would like to thank Carol Pittman for her generous gift.