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When Donté Gibbs was a student at Shaw High School in East Cleveland, Ohio, an external college preparatory program took him and his peers on tours of nearby universities—Cleveland State, John Carroll, Baldwin Wallace and even University of Toledo—but they drove right past �ǿմ�ý.

“Even when there are well-meaning adults around you,” Gibbs said, “sometimes they make assumptions about what is possible or what is within reach for you.”

Fortunately, Gibbs didn’t limit himself. 

He applied and was accepted to �ǿմ�ý, and received multiple scholarships that made it possible for him to attend.

“As a young Black man in East Cleveland, most of the time it seemed the only way to get out was on a sports scholarship,” said Gibbs (CWR '10, SAS '12). “I did play baseball at �ǿմ�ý, but I got an academic scholarship. It was important to me to highlight routes to higher education outside of sports.”

Yet the challenges didn’t stop when Gibbs began his �ǿմ�ý journey. Even though he was just 2 miles away from where he grew up, he remembers feeling like he was entering a whole new world when he stepped onto �ǿմ�ý’s campus.

“I was valedictorian of my high school,” he said, “but at �ǿմ�ý, everyone was valedictorian. So I had to ask myself, ‘Who am I in this space? What is my purpose here?’”

Through the support of mentors, classmates, family and friends, Gibbs found his purpose in community work. 

Today, he’s the vice president of community partnerships for the Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park, where he works to ensure one of the area’s most precious resources is accessible and welcoming to all. He is also the founder of Donté’s Gift Express, which provides gifts and handwritten cards to East Cleveland families during the holiday season each year, and cofounder of Boys to Men Health & Empowerment Summit, which connects hundreds of young men and their parents and guardians with year-round resources contributing to holistic health.

These and many more achievements led to Gibbs receiving the 2024 Ella Mae Johnson Service Award from the African American Alumni Association of �ǿմ�ý in November.

“I learned a lot about what it means to build community [at �ǿմ�ý],” he said. “It’s one thing to say you’re open to everyone, but it’s another thing to show it and give people the feeling that they are not only welcome but wanted.” 

The double alumnus has kept up with �ǿմ�ý since graduation, and was excited by the expansion of the in 2023, which covers the total cost of attendance for eligible students from Cleveland and East Cleveland schools, in addition to offering mentorship and paid internship programs.

“It’s encouraging to see my alma mater open its doors even wider, and for the powers that be to have little Donté in mind when making those decisions,” he said. “Scholarship support helps people like me to defy the odds.”