The freshman class brings 2,000 new faces to Texas Christian University in Fort Worth this fall and the happiest of all may be Thomas Jefferson.
Jefferson has wanted to be a Horned Frog since he toured the campus back in middle school.
"Every time we came here, I thought, 'This is amazing. This is my college. This is the one I'm going to attend,'" he said.
Jefferson's dream to attend TCU was sealed when the university selected him as one of 44 students in its Community Scholars Program, which recruits candidates from urban, high-minority public high schools and offers them millions of dollars in scholarships.
"It's a full ride, program director Timeka Gordon said. "Tuition, room and board, books. It's everything. He gets to study abroad if he wants to."
A few weeks before he graduated from Diamond Hill-Jarvis High School, Gordon went there to tell Jefferson the "full ride" was available for him.
"I was drawn to Thomas, his personality, his perseverance. He is so kind. He is so humble," Gordon said. "And with all things he's gone through in life, he's never let that stop him from achieving his goals. I fell in love with him from the moment I met him."
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
Jefferson's life took a sad turn pretty early on.
"I was living with my mom. She was a drug addict," he said. "At the time I got taken away from her home, I was seven. It was hard going from foster home to foster home, getting starved, getting abused."
It was hard on Mecole Darden, too, but she knew she could change it and give Jefferson the home and stability he deserved when she adopted him.
"It was an easy decision. I've been in his life since the day he was born," Darden said. "We are also relatives, because I'm his cousin."
"I still remember the day she adopted me," recalled Jefferson. "We were crying. It was an emotional day."
"I had my hands full but I was ready to tackle whatever we needed to to get to where he is today," Darden said."
Darden relied on another family, too, to help her tackle what Jefferson needed. She works for Camp Fire First Texas and is the site director for the Diamond Hill station.
Jefferson grew up in the program and both believe it helped him push past a rough start and see a better future.”
"You have fun with your friends and you forget all the bad stuff. You just spend amazing time with your friends," said Jefferson. "There's no room to be upset all the time. You have to push forward and get better every day."
That motivation to be better may also come from being an oldest child. Jefferson has six siblings, and has a very strong bond with his two youngest sisters.
"I'm here, not for me, I'm here for them," he said. "So, I can show them that even though you don't see your mom, brother or sisters, you have me. You can come to this school or even Harvard."
The power of Mecole's love helped Jefferson believe he could be at TCU and living the dream he saw for himself so long ago.
"I am the mom he needed to get him to where he is today," Darden said.
"She pushed me so hard, and I'm grateful for it," said Jefferson. "I wouldn't want anybody else. She's the one. I'm glad I have her as my mother."
