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>> ANCHOR: The fall semester is nearly underway for students at RIT and this year 21 students
from the Rochester city school district will be attending free of charge. They are part
of the Rochester City Scholars program at RIT. As YNN's Sheba Clarke explains, it's
designed to give students an opportunity that can be hard to come by.
>> MAJAHZI JACQUE: It's one of the top schools in the nation especially for technology, which
I'm big into technology.
>> REPORTER: School of the Arts graduate, Majahzi Jacque, has had his heart set on attending
RIT ever since his freshman year of high school.
>> JACQUE: Right now, I'm in new media but I want to hopefully transfer into game
design.
>> REPORTER: Jacque is one of 21 Rochester City School district students who have earned
stripes as a RIT Tiger this fall. The students received a full tuition
scholarship to the school as part of its Rochester City Scholars program. Tuesday night they
were recognized during a ceremony in the president's backyard.
>> DALE LOUIS: I'm extremely proud and I was happy because I didn't know how we were going
to afford college.
>> REPORTER: The program is in its third year, and was started to give city school
district students a chance to get education at RIT, despite financial
challenges. Challenges, the district says, prevents more than three
quarters of its students from attending college.
>> BILL DESTLER: We were concerned that too many kids in the city schools, especially
those that came from families of modest financial means, didn't really think of college as a
real possibility.
>> REPORTER: RIT president Bill Destler says so far, the program has been able to keep
a more than 90 percent retention rate over the past two years.
>> BOLDEN VARGAS: This biggest impact that this has for our students, is it's like a
lighthouse. Children have a reason to do well in school because this is the
destination.
>> REPORTER: A destination that has provided Jacque the opportunity to achieve his goals.
>> JACQUE: I love video games. Every time I play video games, I wish that my name was
in the credits.
>> REPORTER: And one day live that dream.
>> JACQUE: That's really my goal to have my name in the credits of a video game.
>> Sheba Clarke, YNN.