A kid had to be tough growing up in Lester Strong’s Curtis Park neighborhood in Denver.
Athletic ability may have been an escape route for the former Metropolitan State College of Denver basketball star, but he hopes his degree will one day lead him back.
Strong, 24, was one of 972 graduates Sunday at Metro State’s commencement ceremony at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver.
With a criminal-justice degree in hand, he hopes to one day become a police officer and work with kids in his neighborhood.
“Growing up in my neighborhood, there were drugs and gangs everywhere,” said Strong, who leaves Feb. 6 to play professional basketball in Australia. He played center for Metro State on scholarship.
“I only succeeded because all of the people who helped me. I want to be that person for somebody else.”
Micah Vaughn, 23, has been Strong’s best friend since childhood. Hard- fought schoolyard basketball games may have bred a competitive edge between the two friends, but Vaughn didn’t hide his excitement before the ceremony.
“We used to tell each other that before we turn 23 we are going to be somebody,” said Vaughn, who plans to graduate from Metro in the fall. “I’m so proud of him, but he’s got one year on me. I’ve got time to catch up.”
Vaughn sat in the front row of the auditorium with several Strong family members, all beaming with pride.
Strong’s twin sister, Permester Strong, said her brother has always been a loving uncle to her two daughters, Treniata, 6, and Ceisha, 5, and that she has no doubt he’ll be a successful role model.
“He’s already a big influence on his nieces,” she said. “I wish I could see him more, but he is getting to where he needs to be.”
Missing from the ceremony was Strong’s mother, who died while he was in high school.
“I always thought she’d be here,” Lester Strong said. “But I know she is proud of me and is watching over.”
John Andrew was Strong’s coach at John F. Kennedy High School in Denver, where he was a highly recruited player.
“This kid had all the strikes against him,” he said. “He is an important role model for a lot of people. No matter the circumstances, he proved you can succeed.”
For Metro State president Stephen Jordan, Strong epitomizes the mission of the college.
“In many ways this is a college of second chance,” Jordan said. “There are so many people that may not have had opportunities without Metro.”
Division I schools knocked on Strong’s door, but only to sell him basketball, Strong said, while Metro State head coach Mike Dunlap emphasized academics.
“I don’t think I’d be at this spot now if I had not come to school here,” Strong said.
Staff writer Michael McCollum can be reached at 303-820-1201 or mmccollum@denverpost.com.
