KentStateTV/YouTube/PA ImagesBasketball star LeBron James is making sure 193 high school students are able to continue their education by offering them free college tuition.
James is behind the LeBron James Family Foundation and the I Promise school – a public school in Akron, Ohio, dedicated to students who are ‘falling behind and in danger of falling through the cracks’.
The school is operated and funded by the school district, though it was founded by James, and his foundation has provided hundreds of thousands of dollars in financial support for additional teaching staff to help reduce class sizes, as well as for an additional hour of after-school programming and tutors.
The LeBron James Family Foundation also covers the cost of all expenses in the school’s family resource centre, the New York Times reports.
The school opened in July 2018, and recently the first I Promise 11th graders went on a trip to Kent State University in Ohio, under the impression they were simply visiting the campus.
However, upon arrival they discovered they were being treated to much more than a tour.
Check out what happened below:
While listening to speeches from school officials, the junior class were told to look under their chairs, where they were met with intriguing envelopes.
An official explained:
As you open that envelope what you’re going to see is that we’re announcing today that we will guarantee your tuition will be free at Kent State University.
The incredible news was met with whoops and cheers from the crowd, but the offer didn’t end there, as the official went on to say the I Promise students would also receive one year’s free room and board at the university.
The incredible gesture is certainly no small feat; according to the university’s website, tuition for in-state students at Kent State is around $11,000 a year, so covering four years of study for 193 students will rack up a bill of more than $8 million.
KentStateTV/YouTubeThe lucky students, of course, have to put in effort in order to be rewarded with the free tuition – they must maintain a good standing with the school by attending class, getting good grades, and volunteering in the community.
James’s generosity doesn’t end with this class though, as the I Promise website explains 1,300 Akron Public School students involved in the program have all been guaranteed college scholarships if they do their part.
Incredible!
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Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.