The Young Men's Leadership Academy (YMLA) in Fort Worth sets high standards for students from day one and we now know that the school's first graduating class has gone above and beyond.
All of the graduating seniors were accepted into college and offered a combined total of $8 million in scholarships.
"We have UTA, Prairie View A&M, TCU," said YMLA Principal Rodney White, reading off the names of university acceptance letters. “Loyola University New Orleans, Tulane, SMU.”
Every letter is like a road map to the future, laid out clearly for the graduating seniors of the Young Men's Leadership Academy.
"I've had guys come to me and tell me they never thought it was going to happen and cry to say that they're the first person in their family to go to college," White said.
All 41 students in the school's first graduating class are headed to a four-year college in the fall. It's a major achievement the students have been working toward since day one.
"Most people were kinda cocky with that,” said graduating senior Jason Cheeves Jr. “We knew we were gonna do that, we already knew it."
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
Cheeves didn't have that confidence in his early days at YMLA.
"It changed my life because at first I did not like school," Cheeves said.
There's a sense of community in the small school, they call it a brotherhood, where every teacher and every student roots for the brother next to him.
"Everyone is mom and dad-ing you like hey, get your stuff together," said graduating senior Jacob Crockett.
No one more so than Principal Rodney White.
"I wanted them to pick a college as early as 6th grade, that they were going to attend, not I might, I am,” White said. “What is your major, what will you do?"
The curriculum extends to help students work through challenges in their daily lives, or current events that can be especially pressing for a student body that's more than 90% minority.
"I've seen young black men die, don't get to see the age of 18 and graduate and go to college and have an opportunity," Cheeves said.
Opportunity is now on display.
"It's reality coming to fruition,” said White. “It's just very rewarding in seeing this."
Here for young men to seize.
"The sky's not the limit, we're going beyond the sky," said Crockett.
And to pass along.
"My expectation is for you to spread those, pay it forward and give back to others," said White.
The Young Men's Leadership Academy is a public school of choice that's part of the Fort Worth ISD. Students apply and are chosen through a lottery system.
