The city of Baltimore has a crime rate 361% higher than the national average.

Those statistics clearly articulate a young black male with a single parent, living in poverty and surrounded by violence, will not graduate high school.

This is the story of Ball State Football’s Reggie McGee, who became the first member of his family to graduate college.

“A lot of people who I grew up with, played football with, are dead or in jail to be honest,” McGee said. “I have numerous friends who fell victim to violence.  I can think of six friends who have been killed.”

In addition to the murder rate, only 56 percent of Baltimore students graduate high school.

“Baltimore is a very cold place,” said Scarlett Schuemaker, McGee’s mother. “And I am not talking about temperature.”

FINAO is produced by the creative storytellers in Ball State Sports Link — Tyler Bradfield (reporter), Connor Nichols (editor) and Zach Roy (videographer).