The Blade: When Ottawa Hills native Pete Kadens announced two years ago he would cover all post-secondary education costs for 2020 Scott High School graduates and one of their parents, it was the boost Abena Rowland needed to get her life back on track.

WTOL 11: The Promise program, which guarantees post-secondary tuition for graduates from Scott High School classes of 2020 and 2021, now has its first graduate.

HOPE Toledo announced today its first official postsecondary graduate through the HOPE Toledo Promise program, Abena Rowland. She graduated from Stautzenberger College with a certificate in addiction counseling and recently started her career as a case manager at Empowered for Excellence.

The Study is Co-Authored by Northwestern University and HOPE Toledo Promise

College Promise, a national, non-partisan, non-profit initiative that builds broad public support for funding the first two or more years of postsecondary education for hard-working students, and ensuring those students have access to quality educational opportunities and supports, published an important policy brief on the first year of the HOPE Toledo Promise program. 

Scott High School graduates Veronica Daniels and Aaliyah Armstrong are starting afresh at Central State University this fall thanks to a promise made nine months ago.

Pete Kadens made a promise to pay for their education through HOPE Toledo. 80 students will attend 12 different institutions across the country. At 42-years old Jenifer Smith is a college freshman along with her 18-year old daughter Justice.

Who would have thought, Chris Rowland packing for college? Certainly not Chris Rowland. “It just happened so quick and turned everything around,” Chris said. “This past year my life has changed so quickly.”

Scott High School seniors - and their parents and guardians - got a wonderful surprise the morning of Wednesday, January 29, when Pete Kadens, an Ottawa Hills native who now lives in Chicago, pledged to pay for their room and board, tuition and all fees for either college or a trade school.