NBA star Kevin Durant is now one year into his 10-year, $10 million plan geared towards getting local Prince George’s County teens of color into college.
As a Prince George county native, Durant’s plan to help more students have access to higher learning was facilitated by a national program called College Track.
After visiting College Track Oakland in 2017, Durant announced his plan to bring the program to Prince George’s County, according to College Track’s site
The purpose of the College Track program is “to see every student unleash their potential, through the power of education.”
College Track also opened “The Durant Center,” in partnership with the Kevin Durant Charity Foundation and Prince George’s County Public Schools, according to the site.
The center is the first College Track center on the East Coast. The inaugural class of the program in Prince George’s county currently enrolls 69 students of color.
The group of teens are now finishing their freshman year of high school at Suitland High School, which is a short walk from the Durant Center, where the program is hosted.
Students in the program are asked to go to the center after school for tutoring and advising. They are also taught life skills like time management and dealing with stress, according to ABC7.
“For [someone] like Kevin Durant to say, ‘this is where I came from. How can I give back, how can I make a difference?’ For families like us who are still trying to find our way, it’s everything to us. It’s life-changing,” the mother of a College Track student Berniece Reese told ABC7.
According to ABC7, students who successfully meet the requirements of the program will get financial help for college. The program will also stay committed to each student in the program for up to 10 years.
