Music legend Sean Combs makes surprise visit to Bronx high schoolers
CO-OP CITY, Bronx (WABC) -- Sean Diddy Combs returned to the charter school he helped start to surprise the students and help them kick off the new semester on the right foot.
Combs understands the importance of a good education for inner city children and is willing to invest in their future to ensure they have a chance at success.
The kids at Capital Prep in the Bronx were over the moon meeting Combs for the first time.
It opened in 2020 and is one of three charter schools in the network.
Combs is a co-founder and provided critical financial backing.
The entrepreneur said the surprise visit was a must-do. He was born in Harlem, grew up in Mt. Vernon and went to high school in the Bronx.
"When you hear about things going on in the hood, nobody gets to what's the solution, for us the solution is a proper education, so that they don't lose hope and not doing things just to survive," Combs said.
Combs says he was determined to create a place where kids of color would get the support and guidance they weren't getting elsewhere.
Admission is by lottery and to date, all graduates have been accepted to four-year colleges.
"You represent discipline...when people see us they understand what Black and Latin excellence is," said co-founder Dr. Steve Perry.
What's happening at the school is remarkable -- right now there 24 students, all ninth-graders, taking college level classes.
The kids turned the tables and had a surprise of their own -- a performance to one of Diddy's hit songs which was a welcomed break for a man with has a lot on his plate right now.
"It's so many positive things going on but coming to this school is a dream come true," Combs said.
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