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Students in the LeBron James Family Foundation program could see their college tuition paid for by the basketball star.
James has announced his foundation will provide full scholarships for all qualifying students in his mentoring program to attend the University of Akron, where a year’s tuition is about $9,500. There are currently 1,000 students enrolled in the program, and hundreds more could join before the offer runs out. The first class eligible for a scholarship will graduate in 2021, but the plan extends to those graduating high school in 2029, which could bring the total as high as 2,300 scholarships, the Akron Beacon Journal reports.
The initiative is in partnership with JP Morgan Chase, which will provide technical assistance in determining who is eligible for the scholarships; the company has pledged 4,000 man hours, according to Cleveland.com.
“It means so much because, as a kid growing up in the inner city and a lot of African-American kids, you don’t really think past high school,” James said. “You don’t really know your future.”
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