The results are in for the first cohort of students who participated in a mentoring program operated by the Center for the African American Male at Albany State University in Georgia. Four years ago, 34 young men joined the program aimed at increasing the college enrollment rate of young Black males in the Dougherty County School System. The students participated in one-hour sessions each day at high school with students, staff, and faculty affiliated with the Center for the African American Male. The 34 students also participated in other activities geared toward preparing them for college and life.
Of the original 34 young Black men in the program, 23 students enrolled in college this fall, including nine at Albany State University. Another six students in the group joined the military.
Antonio Leroy, director of the Center for the African American Male, stated that “when we surround our kids with people who care so much about their present situation, their potential, their future moving forward, and our hearts are in it, you develop a relationship. Students want to know you have a vested interest in their development, and we can show them their brightest future now.”
Leroy added, “we’re developing leaders, we’re developing guys who have a higher moral compass, guys who understand the power of reaching up for help and reaching back to help.”
