Kent State Alumnus Finds Purpose in Pursuing his Master's Degree and Giving Back to the Community

Growing up in economically depressed Warren, Ohio, Marvin Logan knew a college education might be a long shot. As the son of a single father who worked in the dying auto industry, money was tight; but thanks to a strict upbringing and a strong community support system, Mr. Logan not only graduated from Kent State University with a bachelor's degree, but also is pursuing his master's degree. All while working full time and giving back to the very Warren community that helped him on his way.

"What do you want to do when you grow up?" Mr. Logan's booming voice calls out to the group of high school students gathered to do their homework at Inspiring Minds, the after-school program in Warren where Mr. Logan is transition coordinator. Inspiring Minds focuses on college and career readiness for underrepresented high school-aged teens. Their attention fixed on the charismatic Mr. Logan, some of them begin to call out their ideas.

"I want to be a teacher," says one student. "I want to be an engineer," says another.

Mr. Logan challenges them good-naturedly and they spar back and forth with obvious respect for their mentor, an imposing former high school football player and All-American track star who towers above them. His work with the students not only makes a difference in their lives but as an alumnus of Inspiring Minds himself, Mr. Logan gets the chance to give back to the very program that changed his life.

"I am one of what they call the first five," he says, explaining that when the program began in 2006, it consisted of him and four other students from Warren G. Harding High School meeting at a local McDonald's with a mentor.

In addition to help with homework and preparing students for college, Inspiring Minds also sponsors college visits to various cities around the country. It was during one of these college visits as a teen that Mr. Logan found a job right out of high school, after attending a presentation by the celebrity R&B singer Usher Raymond for his nonprofit organization Usher's New Look, whose mission it is to transform underserved youth into "passion-driven, global leaders," according to its website.

"I walked right up to Usher and introduced myself," Mr. Logan recalls. "And he told me I was exactly the kind of student he was looking for. I gained another family through that relationship, and it opened up a world of millionaires and billionaires and all kinds of things I used to dream about."

After several years of working with Usher's organization in Atlanta, Georgia, Mr. Logan decided it was time to return to Northeast Ohio and give back to his hometown, explaining, "This is my home. The people here raised me and made me who I am."

He enrolled at Kent State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Pan-African studies. His involvement at Kent State didn't stop in the classroom; Mr. Logan also joined student organizations like Black United Students and was executive director of Undergraduate Student Government.

He then began work at Inspiring Minds and enrolled in the Master of Library and Information Science program, where he hopes to focus his work on the hip-hop culture.

"After finishing my undergraduate degree, I still had a desire to go on," Mr. Logan says. "I love college so much, I decided I never want to leave. Kent State is my second home - I get excited about my coursework. And I have really been able to bond with the administration and the faculty. They took a chance on me and I appreciate that."