I’m from Kalamazoo—a medium-sized city nuzzled in the southwest corner of Michigan. A place known for its beer, its celebrities (ever seen American Idol?), and its commitment to education. Here in Kalamazoo, we have three educational institutions: Kalamazoo College, Western Michigan University, and Kalamazoo Valley Community College. And the best part of Kalamazoo? All of us go to college for free.

Yes, that’s right—free.

About 10 years ago, the Kalamazoo Promise was announced—a scholarship foundation, funded by “anonymous donors,” that awards full tuition to all high school graduates, regardless of GPA of socioeconomic standing, so long as they’ve been in the school district from kindergarten until graduation. It’s changed the course of the city’s future, and it’s changed almost every family that’s ever called Kalamazoo home.

This past weekend, an event was held to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Promise. At the event, Kalamazoo mayor Bobby Hopewell announced that in the 10 years of its operation, the Promise has paid out $67 million to some 4,000 students. In another 10 years, Hopewell anticipates that another 10,000 students will take advantage of the Promise. And in 20 years? In 50? Thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands.

This is the beer-drinking, bike-friendly, Biggby-loving city of Kalamazoo.

I graduated Kalamazoo Central High School in 2013. I was an A student, a bit of an overachiever, and shy to a fault. I considered many universities and colleges, both public and private, religious and non-religious. Basically, I had no idea where I wanted to go, because I wanted to go everywhere. And that’s where the Promise began to change my life: all my teachers, all my counselors, all my school administrators encouraged us to go to college. No, they expected us to go to college. And our options were limitless, or at least it felt that way.

So after much deliberation, I chose Wayne State University, a world-class research institution in the heart of Detroit. I live in the middle of all the action, where all my classes are a 10-minute walk away, and I’m just a mile from the country’s largest medical center. I’m surrounded by the history of the race riots, the rise and fall of the auto industry, and many years of city building, its successes and failures. I’m seeing the city change almost daily—businesses open and close, individuals move in and move out, neighborhoods change and evolve. Detroit is a beautiful, dynamic, impressionable city, and living in it has completely changed how I see the world.

All of this— and my tab has been paid.

Just a few days ago, mayor Bobby Hopewell declared that August 15 would be henceforth known in my hometown as Kalamazoo Promise Day. I celebrated that day with many of my former classmates, teachers, and community members. Although my heart may currently be in Detroit, my home will always be in Kalamazoo. The Promise allowed me the life-changing opportunity to set down roots in another city, to latch onto the movement of the revitalization of Detroit, and to be able to chase my dreams—all without worrying about impending loan payments.

Thank you, Kalamazoo Promise Donors. You’ve made a huge impact in this one student’s life. So, multiply my story by 4,000 and that’s how much the world has changed because of your generosity.