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As Don’Marie Reid spent most of her childhood in the I Promise program, she learned many important skills and through the program earned fours years of tuition to 5X���� and room and meals for one year. Without the Kent State scholarship Reid may not have had the opportunity to live on a college campus. Her first year at Kent State has opened a whole new world for her.

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“I Promise worked wonders for me,” said Reid, 18, a graduate of Akron Early College Highh School. “It helped me get a scholarship to Kent State, gave me the opportunity to build my resume and gave me 160 volunteer hours. I learned how to interact with others and how to speak before a large crowd. Kent State gave me a new view of what college could be. It has been a cultural shift for me.”

The Lebron James Family Foundation’s I Promise program supports more than 1,500 Akron students in grades three through 10 through mentoring, college and career preparation and wrap-around family support. Kent State has hosted intensive summer programs in partnership with I Promise and Akron schools to show the I Promise  students that it is possible for them to overcome obstacles to attend college and to help them reach their goals.  

Reid, a biology/pre-medicine major at Kent State, looks forward to working in the medical field one day, perhaps as a pediatrician. Her mother and other family members, who have attended college and are in medical professions, are role models and have provided inspiration for her to achieve her dreams. Reid knows that it will take hard work and determination to excel in her course work. She has taken advantage of tutoring sessions offered to her at Kent State to help with her course work.

“The classes are more difficult than high school and they are more complex,” Reid said. “And there is a lot of homework. I am working on my time management skills.” 

��dz����������ճ� L����, a new four-year cohort program housed in Community Engaged Learning at Kent State, offers Reid and other I Promise students a network of care and resources while removing financial, academic and personal barriers to success.

“Definitely with CommUNITY Lab, they do check on us,” Reid continued. “We have a close connection with Dean (Eboni) Pringle (5X���� College), Ms. Melody Tankersley, (Kent State senior vice president and provost) and Ms. Amanda Woodyard, (director, Kent State Community Engaged Learning). They help us stay on track.”

I Promise and 5X���� have also taught Reid and her peers about the true meaning of family.

“The I Promise program model is we are family,” she said. “You are not alone at school. Even though your family is at home, you have a family at Kent State.”