City of Pontiac Michigan Schools

A kickoff of the Promise Zone scholarship initiative has been planned for Thursday when Maridada said about 300 Pontiac High School students — along with many area dignitaries — will be on hand at Oakland Community College Auburn Hills Campus to hear more about the program.

Over the past year and a half, the Pontiac Promise Zone has raised nearly $750,000, which has been determined to be enough to begin financing an associate degree or equivalent for each graduate over the next two years.

In partnership with the school district, KDR Global Education Solutions and the Pontiac Promise Zone Authority Board, Graham will present his Nine-Step Success Process and discuss his book, “Teens Can Make It Happen: Nine Steps to Success,” to help prepare students for college.

“It is our desire to be an instrumental part of the evolution that will take place in the City of Pontiac School District,” said Karen Reed, president of KDR Global Education Solutions, representing Graham. “The Promise Zone Initiative is designed to give the students an economic opportunity to attend college. We seek to complement that opportunity with proven sustainable programs within the Pontiac School District that will give each student a roadmap preparing them to take full advantage of this opportunity.”