In March 2021, the Joe and Mary Ann Cromeans Foundation provided a generous donation to the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Both the College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Nursing received a portion of the gift to provide scholarships to juniors and seniors.

The Joe and Mary Ann Cromeans Foundation is located in Orange Beach, Alabama. The foundation aims to advance the field of medicine and broaden the arts by providing scholarships to qualifying juniors and seniors at universities in the South.

In the College of Arts and Sciences, both the departments of Theatre and Music awarded scholarships to a total of nine students for academic year 2021-2022. Five students in the Department of Music received scholarships, and four students in the Department of Theatre received scholarships.

Rachel Thomas, a music education major and scholarship recipient, aspires to become an elementary music teacher after graduation. “This would not be possible without the funding of the Joe and Mary Ann Cromeans Scholarship,” said Thomas. “This scholarship has helped me continue my learning experience and will be a great help in achieving my goal of becoming a teacher.”

Nina Ballon, a senior majoring in musical theatre and scholarship recipient, will graduate in Spring 2022. During her tenure at UAB, she has focused on developing her talent as a performer—at the same time, she has developed technical theatre skills too. “It’s good to know or be familiar with all of the other aspects of the theatre world and not limit myself to just performing on stage,” said Ballon. “This scholarship helps me not only achieve my goals but also have the freedom to create goals that I probably wouldn’t have even thought about if I were anywhere else.”

Clearly, The Joe and Mary Ann Cromeans Foundation is fulfilling its mission by investing in students who will further broaden and advocate for the arts in Alabama and beyod.