Alumnus will use BMe Leader Award to help others graduate from college
Jason Miller, who graduated from UA in 2010, was one of eight Akron men honored on June 23 with a BMe Leader Award. Each of the honorees was given $10,000 to fund community service projects.
Begun in 2011 as a project of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the BMe Community has grown into a national network of black males dedicated to being a “community of community-builders.”
Jason Miller
“We believe black men are assets and important members of the human family,” BMe Community Founder Trabian Shorters told the Akron Beacon Journal in a June 23 article. “So we recognize unsung black men who have committed themselves to the well-being of others.”
Paying it forward
For Miller, the award will enable him to pay forward the opportunities he received as an adult student who enrolled at UA after his job in the auto industry was eliminated.
He utilized the advising and programming services of UA Adult Focus, and was a recipient of the prestigious Bernard Osher Reentry Scholarship for two consecutive years. Miller joined UA Adult Learners and was inducted into the Alpha Sigma Lambda Honorary Society, eventually becoming president of both organizations. He also served an internship with the Barberton Community Foundation.
After earning a B.A. in Communication - Public Relations, and an A.A.S. in Paralegal Studies, Miller joined College Now of Greater Cleveland. He is the Summit County site coordinator for the philanthropic foundation, which provides access to education.
“I have long desired to create a resource for students who owe past due fees to a college or university and are barred from reenrolling in college,” explains Miller. “My plan is to create a first-of-its-kind, interest-free loan that will allow students to pay these fees and fines. Therefore, they may return to postsecondary education at an accredited not- for-profit institution.”
Learn more about the BMe Community online.