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KCP award recipient one of the few to beat the odds
Central Michigan University graduate student Terry Pross wants to be one of the people making a difference in the lives of young people. Now, after recently receiving the Martin Luther King Jr./Cesar Chavez/Rosa Parks Fellowship, he feels he's one step closer to that dream.
The KCP award provides financial assistance to minority students pursuing their master's or doctoral degrees and planning to teach in postsecondary education or take an administrative position.
"The significance of the KCP award for me is that I will be able to help others in the future," Pross said. "I will be able to keep kids from being misled or stuck in a bad pattern."
Walter Schneider, associate director of the master of science in administration program, believes Pross has great potential.
"They couldn't have found a more perfect recipient for the KCP fellowship in terms of turning a life around," Schneider said. "Terry has overcome great odds in his young career. I'm excited about his future potential in helping young people become successful in their lives."
Overcoming the odds against him
Pross grew up in inner city Detroit where the drop-out rate for ninth grade students is extremely high.
"The system is failing horribly there," Pross said. "I'm the only one of my friends, and I'm talking 30 guys, who is not in jail or dead right now. That says a lot. I think it's a lack of leadership in my community."
Originally, Pross came to CMU to play basketball. As his plans changed, he focused more on his education and in building his people skills.
"CMU is a beautiful place with some excellent teachers," Pross said. "And, because it's small, I have been able to build relationships with my teachers. Even though I've been through so much, CMU has changed my life. The little things have helped me grow. It's the perfect place for me."
Pamela Stambersky, M.B.A. advisor, has known Pross for years.
"I'm amazed by him," she said. "He has the type of vision that has allowed him to ride out the rough waves with great patience."
Pross, who also is a graduate assistant at the LaBelle Entrepreneurial Center, graduated with a B.S. in business and is pursuing his M.S.A. with a concentration in health administration. He plans to earn his Ph.D. in the next two or three years before finding a teaching position. Eventually, he would like to run for mayor of Detroit in order to fix the education system in its urban areas.
"I just want to change the epidemic down there because it's sad," Pross said. "It took me getting away from it and coming to CMU to understand the cycle. I've learned that if a man isn't educated, he'll never break out of it."
"CMU is a beautiful place with some excellent teachers. And, because it's small, I have been able to build relationships with my teachers."
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