YSU football players act as Kirkmere mentors

YOUNGSTOWN — They talked about sports, girls, schoolwork and family.

Today marked the first meeting of boys at Discovery at Kirkmere and their mentors who are Youngstown State University football players.

Jalen Berry, 12, a seventh-grader at Kirkmere, peppered Joshmere Dawson, a YSU senior, with questions. He started with girls. It seems Jalen gets distracted from school by his female classmates.

Dawson cautioned against that.

“You’ve got your whole life ahead of you,” he said. “There will be time for girls later.”

Stay focused on school, Dawson, an Akron native who plays defensive tackle, instructed. Your academic performance in middle school lays the foundation for what you’ll learn in high school, he said.

High school builds the foundation for college, Dawson said.

For the complete story, read Tuesday's Vindicator and Vindy.com