Rapper Common inspires students to attend college

WESTWOOD, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- It was anything but a common Saturday for hundreds of local college hopefuls. Award-winning rapper Common lent his voice to a special event, inspiring students to go to college.

Rapping words of wisdom, Common hit the stage at the Fulfillment Fund's Destination College event at UCLA, giving high school students the information, guidance and resources they need to graduate and pursue their college dreams.

"It's really giving opportunities to kids who may not have the opportunity to know a lot about college," Common said. "It's inspiring, to be honest."

The Oscar, Grammy and Golden Globe winner is himself the son of an educator and knows how fulfilling the college experience can be.

"Sometimes you know you have kids that don't even think about college really," the rapper said. "This Destination College and the Fulfillment Fund is really saying, 'hey, we can provide you with the opportunity to act, to get you access to college and a college education.' I'm really in support of this because it's doing great for kids who may not have had that exposure."

It's exposure that can pave the way to a bright future.

"It helps you get a good idea of how to get into college and what you need to get there," high school junior Sean Davis said.

"I'm going to be the first one out of my family to graduate, so I'm pretty sure I want to go to college," high school junior Elemmar Valle said.

The Fulfillment Fund serves 2,500 students in Los Angeles. For more information, visit http://www.fulfillment.org.