KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Forty-eight Kalamazoo Promise scholars are graduating from Western Michigan University (WMU) this Saturday. According to campus officials, this is the largest number of promise scholars graduating in one semester.
For some, leaving WMU means freedom from deadlines and lectures, while for others it means so much more.
“I don't come from a wealthy family. So I don't think that I would have been able to go to college without the Kalamazoo Promise,” said Cornez Bell, a marketing major graduating from the Haworth College of Business.
Being the oldest sibling, Bell always felt like he had a lot of responsibility, but with the Kalamazoo Promise paying for 100% of his tuition, he felt like a weight was lifted from his shoulders.
“With my mom having a heart condition, her health was up and down a lot; I always worried about going to college and taking out that debt and being able to pay it reasonably and help take care of the family,” he told FOX 17.
Not only did the scholarship allow him to focus on helping his family but it also became a support system after taking time off of school in 2020. However, Bell isn’t the only one feeling a sense of gratitude.
“If it wasn't because of the Kalamazoo Promise, I wouldn't be here,” said Giselle Martinez, another Haworth College of Business student.
Martinez is a first-generation college student, so being able to put on the cap, gown and tassel is a dream.
While the degree will have her name on it, she says it won’t belong to just her. It’s for everyone who helped her get to this moment in her life, especially her mom.
“I'm not only working for myself, I'll get for my family and working for my community. So it's an accomplishment not only for me but for all,” she said.
Director of Multicultural Affairs for Students Melissa Holman and Faculty Lead for the Kalamazoo Promise Scholars Program Mark Orbe have spent years working with program scholars at WMU. They’ve acted as mentors, assisted on study-abroad trips and created memorable experiences for students on campus. However, the two say their biggest joy is witnessing their students graduate.
“Being able to see them persevere, some of them knowing the hardships that they've gone through to get to this point, some of them not knowing what kinds of experiences they wanted to have, and being able to see them embrace those things, that means so much,” Holman said.
“For me, it's a point of pride. It's also a point of humility to really see the role that we can play and giving the students the opportunities that they step up and really step in and embrace those things,” Orbe added.
