Krishaun Branch moved to Nashville to start his college career, far from the gangs that had surrounded him much of his life.
Rayvaughn Hines settled on school in Virginia, determined to defy the fate of many young Black men in his community who end up behind bars—or worse.
The three were graduates from Urban Prep, a charter high school for young Black men that opened in 2006. Most students were poor, way behind in school and living with their mothers in gang-ravaged neighborhoods. But founder Tim King had made a pledge: If they stayed disciplined and dreamed big, they’d get into college. And sure enough, every member in the Class of 2010, the school’s first, was accepted into four-year schools.
