The voice, the Promise, the President

KALAMAZOO, Mich. (WOOD) - The voice.

The voice on the student-produced video that helped Kalamazoo Central High School snare President Barack Obama as its commencement speaker is strong, passionate, confident and committed.

Those attributes describe not just the voice but the talented young man behind the voice, Kalamazoo Central senior Xavier Bolden.

"A lot of people have told me that it was very moving and touching and a lot of people have cried because of the video," Bolden told 24 Hour News 8.

But he's quick to share the credit, humbly admitting he was a last-minute addition. Bolden wasn't involved at all in the writing or the production of the video by dozens of students that won the national contest sponsored by the Department of Education.

He landed the gig on the first day of his poetry class.

"So, they gave us the poem and they chose me to say the poem," he said. "And it just turned out to be great."

He has been actively involved in drama and the arts since his days at Woods Lake Magnet Elementary in Kalamazoo. Bolden plans to attend Western Michigan University, earning one of 12 open positions from the 500 applicants in the school's theater department.

Like so many others, Bolden found hope in the Kalamazoo Promise, which was a huge factor in the president choosing to speak at Kalamazoo Central.

It's also a major motivator for students to finish high school.

"A lot of people get discouraged halfway through, because their parents will never be able to afford (college)," he said. "But here in Kalamazoo, that promise, it is helping my family. It's helping tremendously."

He also said all the attention has sparked a movement at Kalamazoo Central to strive for achievement and to never give up on a dream.

"This is one of those moments where you don't breathe," he said. "But it's a good out-of-breath feeling."

24 Hour News 8's Tony Tagliavia contributed to this report.