DAYTON, Ohio — For high school seniors, the stress of applying and saving up for college can be a lot. One Dayton-area senior is counting his blessings after he was awarded a four-year full-ride scholarship to the University of Dayton. 


What You Need To Know

  • The McIntosh Scholarship is awarded to a Black Dayton-area high school senior each year

  • This year Eryk Charlton won the award

  • The scholarship includes a full-ride to the University of Dayton, room and board and a four-year paid internship with the City of Dayton

​Eryk Charlton is proud to be born and raised in Dayton. He grew up going to University of Dayton basketball games and engineering camps. So when he heard about the McIntosh scholarship, he thought it was worth a shot.

“I’ve always felt that they were a very prestigious university," Charlton said. "So I always knew in my heart that part of me wanted to go there and once I saw the opportunity for a full-ride and such a prestigious scholarship, I was like I really want to try and get this.”

So, last week, Charlton was told he had a second interview for the award, but instead he was surprised. 

“The president walked in and he congratulated me, and he let me know that I won the scholarship, so I was very grateful," he said. "It was a very heartfelt moment.”

Charlton is a senior at Stivers School for the Arts, a performing arts school he credits with helping him get to this point.

“They’re really supportive in what I do, whether it’s basketball, whether it’s school, whether it’s academics," Charlton said. "I feel like the teachers really care about the students in a way so you feel comfortable enough to talk with them.”

The McIntosh Scholarship honors W.S McIntosh, a Dayton civil rights leader who was killed in 1974 trying to prevent a robbery. The award provides full tuition, room and board, and a four-year internship with the City of Dayton.

“I’m very honored to be a part of something so great and something so big because I’m really just trying to continue a legacy in a way," Charlton said.

Charlton hopes to study political science and become a lawyer. He said he’s looking forward to getting on campus and starting his college journey.

“Mostly learning because I love to learn," he said. "I’m kind of a nerd, but that’s okay because I love learning. But I’m really just looking forward to making family in a sense and really looking forward to finding my purpose in a way, finding out what I’m going to be in life.”