JRF SCHOLARS: ALEX CATER

JRF/Morgan Stanley Foundation Scholar Alex Cater Selected To Speak at
Clinton Global Initiative

Growing up on the south side of Chicago, Alex Cater was surrounded by crippling poverty, endless cycles of hopelessness and seemingly insurmountable obstacles.  But with his unshakeable resolve and the support of his mother, the dream of a college education never seemed out of reach.  There was also the boon that came from a childhood source of inspiration: Jackie Robinson. 

“Growing up in the area where I did, I did not see a lot of success among African Americans,” said the JRF/Morgan Stanley Foundation Scholar and senior at the University of Michigan’s Stephen M. Ross School of Business.  “What Jackie did gave me the inspiration to try to step forward and to achieve great things and make a difference in the lives of the people around me and improve my community.  Jackie’s legacy was a means of striving for greatness.”

After his mother moved the family to Urbana in search of better schooling options for Alex, financial struggles deepened, but so to did Alex’s determination to succeed.   He went on to become a standout student at Urbana High School. A member of the varsity football team, he was also active with the City of Urbana Human Relations Commission, the Young Achievers Society, a National Honor Society inductee and a Champaign County Urban League’s Achievement Matters Award recipient.  When a family friend suggested looking at the scholarships offered by the Jackie Robinson Foundation, Alex jumped at the opportunity.  And it seemed only fitting that for a young man that grew up idolizing the baseball and civil rights legend, that he would earn the honor of becoming a Jackie Robinson Foundation Scholar.

“Even when I was just looking at the Foundation, it was clear that it was really like family,” Alex said.  “It’s been much more than an educational opportunity.  It’s joining a network of people who share your goals and mindset.”

Four years later, the Business Administration major has certainly left his mark on the University of Michigan campus and the Foundation.  He has been active on campus as the Treasurer of the Black Student Union and the External Relations Director of the Black Business Undergraduate Society. Alex has also served as volunteer with the Community Clean-Up Initiative in Detroit and with the Toys-for-Tots program.  In addition, he has mentored incoming freshman through the University Mentorship program.  The seeds of leadership were planted early on.  As a college freshman, Alex served as president of Fletcher Hall Multicultural Council.  While Alex held the position, the group organized and executed the Taste of Culture, the first campus-wide event that was hosted by an all-freshmen council and the smallest residence hall on campus.

After attending his first Annual Scholars Networking Weekend, Alex was immediately inspired to make a deeper impact and set out to establish his own non-profit, Excelerate, to provide disadvantaged youth with educational and professional development opportunities.

“Excelerate is a non-profit academic consulting program targeted at underrepresented minorities and low-income kids to help them tailor their college curriculum so they can meet their professional goals,” Alex explains.  “We are looking at students who are motivated and have the drive, but don’t have the experiences of their more affluent peers and don’t know how to identify those resources they need on campus.”

The program will start at the University of Michigan, with ambitious plans to expand nationally. 

“The JRF staff including [Assistant Director of Leadership Development] Damian Travier, [Assistant Director of Leadership Development] Dan McNeal and [Development Manager] Stephen Lynch were instrumental in helping me formulate our operational plan and work through the many issues involved in starting this organization.”

Excelerate is already making national waves.  Recently, Alex was invited to talk about the organization at the upcoming Clinton Global Initiative University Meeting, where he will speak before other student leaders, social entrepreneurs and political dignitaries.

 “To take what the Foundation has given me and impart that to have a positive influence on others is indescribable feeling,” Alex said.