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Alcovy band seniors accumulate $5.3 million in scholarship offers
alcovy band signing day 2025

For the third straight year, seniors with the Alcovy Band program officially “got that money.”

Last Thursday, at the school’s third annual band signing day, Director of Bands Brian Coates officially revealed that 14 students collectively generated over $5.3 million in scholarship offers.

Coates, who was recently named the 2025 Covington News Community Spirit Award Winner, said that the purpose of the yearly event is to celebrate the achievements of the band members while showing that band programs can provide an array of post-high school opportunities.

“I want to show the parents and stakeholders that participation in band can be a great way to help fund education and pay for college,” Coates said.

Earning the most money out of the 14 seniors was YaKari Bryant, who received 19 scholarship offers totaling $869,640. Bryant announced he would be attending Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University (FAMU).

Six students revealed they would be attending Albany State University on varying levels of scholarship offers. Those students are:

  • Aniyah Knox ($411,000 in scholarship offers earned)
  • Lyasia Norman ($360,000 in scholarship offers earned)
  • Amaria Hillman ($345,640 in scholarship offers earned)
  • Gavin Rasheed ($330,000 in scholarship offers earned)
  • Damani Jones ($209,000 in scholarship offers earned)
  • Brayden Crumbley ($76,000 in scholarship offers earned)

The other seven students who announced their college of choice on May 8 were as follows:

  • Khalil Matthews (Central State University; $647,740 in scholarship offers earned)
  • Krishel Johnson (North Carolina A&T; $536,000 in scholarship offers earned)
  • Ayden Lipscomb (Alabama State University; $505,744 in scholarship offers earned)
  • Diego Myerstone Love (Fort Valley State University; $291,460 in scholarship offers earned)
  • Tristan Rowe (Fort Valley State University; $263,640 in scholarship offers earned)
  • Isaiah Parker (Coahoma Community College; $247,640 in scholarship offers earned)
  • Dorian Jenkins (Kennesaw State University; $209,000 in scholarship offers earned)

Throughout the event, the signees shared what being in the Alcovy band program meant to them.

“Being in band, it helped me turn my life around,” Jones said.

“In 8th grade, I was in a dark headspace,” Hillman said. “Band, it just showed me it was OK to be myself.”

“It’s impacted my life in many ways, but it showed me that my true passion is music, and I want to become a music educator,” Lipscomb said.

With the class of 2025 earning a total of $5,302,584, this raises the program’s total scholarship offerings from the past three years to over $13 million.

“I do all of this because I believe the arts provide students an opportunity to be successful after high school,” Coates said. “That’s why I do what I do. That’s what it’s all about.”