Mom couldn't afford a license community college program — until the Metallica band stepped in
On a weekday morning in Baltimore, Carmen DeBerry climbs into her delivery truck with a sense of pride that still feels new. Just months ago, she was juggling the weight of caring for her daughter and her mother while trying to find a better way to live. But now she is a licensed commercial driver, a job she says has changed her life for the better. “It feels awesome,” she said while speaking to CBS News. “You know, I take care of my daughter and I also take care of my mother.”
Her commercial driver’s license came through a program at the Community College of Baltimore County, the kind that costs up to $7,500, a sum she simply couldn’t afford. The fact that she received it through a scholarship still surprises her and on top of that, to know who funded it. The scholarship came from four men, best known for great rock music. Metallica’s charity, "All Within My Hands," has donated more than $10 million to workforce education, offering grants to trade schools and community colleges across the country. “I mean, to be honest, I didn’t know when I first signed up that it was through Metallica; they just called it a scholarship,” DeBerry said.
“Not everyone is built for college, and not everyone needs college,” said lead singer James Hetfield, the son of a truck driver, a connection he hasn’t forgotten even now. His sentiment reflects years of research that highlights the steady demand for vocational and technical roles, many of which played a key part in keeping daily life functioning during the pandemic. “It was very evident during COVID, you know, when we weren’t able to go out and do our thing,” Hetfield said. “But the plumber, the electrician, the truck driver… were there. And thank God for them.” His conviction is clear: “My thought is that the next millionaires will be the tradesmen.”
For bassist Robert Trujillo, the mission brings him close to early years, “We all came from, I mean, pretty humble beginnings,” he said. Before music, he worked in construction. “At a certain point you realize, like, hey… we’re doing well. What can we do to make people’s lives better?” The band’s philanthropy began quietly from backstage meals from their tours being sent to local food banks and those small gestures grew into various missions, including disaster relief. Guitarist Kirk Hammett remembers the turning point vividly: the 2017 Northern California fires. “We were able to, like, jump in and, like, really help people right off the bat,” he said. Earthquakes, fires, communities in crisis, the band kept stepping up.
Speaking about their charity wasn’t instinctive. “We had never screamed from the rooftops about it,” said drummer Lars Ulrich. “Humans are herd animals… the flock does better when everybody is doing well.” But nothing made their impact feel more real than what happened backstage in Landover, Maryland. For the first time, Hetfield met a Metallica scholar, Carmen herself. “I really think that your scholarship… is what got me the job,” she told him. “I appreciate it.”
Hetfield smiled. The moment stayed with him. “To get a one-on-one, you know, heart-to-heart with somebody whose life you’ve changed… it changes mine.”