LeBron James has reached another monumental milestone. Well, one of his students did.
King James sent Anthony Claytor a congratulatory memo after he became the first student from his iPromise school in Akron, Ohio, to graduate from nearby Kent State University.
Claytor was part of the inaugural class of James’ iPromise school that he founded near downtown Akron. Claytor took full advantage of the opportunity to graduate early with his bachelor of arts degree in criminology and justice studies with a minor in sociology.
“CONGRATULATIONS ANTHONY!!!! SO PROUD OF YOU YOUNG [prince],” James wrote on X.
Now that he has his diploma, Claytor told CNN that he wants to become a Secret Service agent. He added that he didn’t know where he would be had it not been for James’ preparatory school.
“If it wasn’t for the LeBron James Family Foundation, I don’t know if I would have gone to college,” Claytor, 21, said. “I don’t know where I would be.”
Furthermore, living on campus enabled Claytor to maximize the college experience.
Anthony Claytor is eternally grateful to the LeBron James Family Foundation
“If I went … somewhere else, I wouldn’t have been able to live on campus and meet new people, develop relationships or join organizations. I really enjoy being able to do that at Kent State,” he said.
Now that his college education is in his metaphorical rearview mirror, and he looks to fulfill his dream of being a member of the president’s protection team, Claytor said James’ foundation made the matriculation process through Kent State less cumbersome to navigate.
“There was more help financially, specifically with tuition and books,” Claytor said.
“These programs also provided me access to different scholarships and internships. Overall, it made campus [life] a lot easier to navigate,” he added.