Photo courtesy of DevonshireSmith

CINCINNATI, Ohio — DevonshireSmith Diversity and Education Solutions began 10 years ago as a way to ensure students graduated from high school and college.

What You Need To Know


  • The DevonshireSmith Diversity and Education Solutions is looking to expand their reach, thanks to a $25,000 grant through the United Way of Greater Cincinnati.

  • For a decade, the organization has provided students with the resources needed to survive and thrive in college

  • ACT and SAT prep and college tours are among the programs they offer

“It wasn’t because they didn’t have the ability or the want to,” said Michael Griffin, DevonshireSmith Diversity and Education Solutions president. “They didn’t have the proper resources and some of the navigational pieces that are required to receive a two- and four-year degree.”

So, they’ve created programs like ACT and SAT prep and free college tours to help those students further their education. 

“Somebody really let me know that it’s okay to be the smart kid, it’s okay to go forth,” said Griffin. “It’s okay to try really hard to go after what you want and I just wanted to do that in a formalized way for other students.”

DVS has helped thousands of students successfully make it through college. Students who participate in these programs have a 98 percent immediate college enrollment rate. But even with all the success, the pandemic has made it a little difficult this year to provide those same resources. So, they’ve had to use other methods to help keep students connected and engaged. 

“Calling, texting, using all the video conferencing platforms to really walk students and families through these really tough times,” he said.

United Way is helping organizations like DevonshireSmith further expand its mission through its Black Empowerment Works grant, which was established back in 2017. This year, they awarded a $600,000 grant to 29 Cincinnati-area Black-led programs and initiatives.

“We want to be very purposeful about finding some great organizations that people trust and turn to and we want to make sure that not only do we reflect the community, but the organizations that we invest in also reflect the community,” said Moira Weir, United Way of Greater Cincinnati president and CEO.

With this grant, Griffin says he hopes to help even more students get on the right path to success. 

“We can take students through an entire wholistic process of college access so that you know what's the right field, get higher ACT scores, make sure that they check all the boxes so they can remain competitive, not only for admission, but also for scholarship dollars as well,” said Griffin.