By Kathy Chouteau A promise made is a promise kept. Amid a challenging year that drastically changed academic landscapes across the country, the Richmond Promise welcomed its largest class of scholars ever. In total, 503 new Richmond and North Richmond students joined the organization’s scholar network of 1,500 scholars across 100-plus college campuses nationwide, according to Richmond Promise Executive Director Jessie Stewart. The Richmond Promise’s mission is to build a college graduating culture in Richmond. The program provides a $1,500 annual scholarship that is renewable for up to four years to high school seniors in Richmond pursuing degrees at a two-year or four-year college, or a Career Technical Education Certificate at any not-for-profit institution in the U.S. The Richmond Promise was created 2015 from a $35 million, 10-year investment by Chevron Richmond.