TOLEDO, Ohio — It was two years ago when HOPE Toledo and Ottawa Hills native, Pete Kadens, announced a college promise for graduating seniors, and their parents, at Scott High School.
Students in the 2021 graduating class at Scott High School were able to apply for a scholarship from the program, which promised to fund their post-secondary education—community college, university or trade school — including tuition, room and board, books and fees.
RELATED: HOPE Toledo scholarship will pay for college tuition, room and board for Scott High School graduates
Now, two years later, the organization has more than 140 scholars and is seeing its first graduate.
For Abena Rowland, HOPE Toledo and its college promise couldn't have come at a better time.
"In November of 2019, our job closed down for my husband and I, and some other tragedies happened in between then," Abena Rowland said.
Her son was in the first class of graduating seniors from Scott High School to get the scholarship, meaning she was able to reap the benefits, too.
"I didn't know what I was going to do. This opportunity came and I took advantage of it," Rowland said.
Now she's HOPE Toledo's first graduate, completing her education from Stautzenberger College.
The organization's President and CEO, John Jones said he was surprised the first graduate was a parent.
"I did not imagine that to be the first, but I think it's quite fitting for what we're seeing and doing," Jones said.
But, that's the goal: to get inner-city students and their families to believe college education is possible and within reach.
"The whole word 'hope' is everything because sometimes we don't know things that can happen, but the fact that being able to go back and get your education. It means everything," Rowland said.
Rowland now works at Empowered for Excellence as a case manager and it's her drive that's leading the way for the other 140 scholars.
"We were confident that if we invested dollars into our young people but also into one of their parents, we knew we could get down this road and begin to break this cycle of poverty," Jones said.