Kanga Klothing/Watts Education Re-Enrollment Center Resilience Scholarship

Jerome Watts ’97, Ed.D., an avid sports enthusiast, established the Kanga Klothing/Watts Education Re-Enrollment Center Resilience Scholarship at SUNY Brockport to encourage students, especially Black males, to complete their degrees and become elementary school teachers in urban areas.

Dr. Watts earned both his Master of Science degree and his Certificate of Advanced Studies in Educational Leadership and Administration from Brockport in 1997. He earned his doctoral degree from St. John Fisher College in 2010. He served as a teacher and vice principal at Roth Middle School in the Rush-Henrietta School District and as an administrator at secondary schools in the Rochester City School District. He also ran a private tutoring service.

In addition to his background as an educator, he is a husband, father, and sports enthusiast. He founded Kanga Klothing, Inc., in 2016 because as much as he is a fan of sports, he is not a fan of cold weather. The idea for Kanga Klothing came to him while tailgating in upstate New York: design pockets on the inside of sweatshirts and t-shirts to hold handwarmers. The advantage to his clothing line is avoiding the need to carry extra items in case the weather changes.

Dr. Watts formally introduced Kanga Klothing at the 2016 ESPYs Gifting Suite, where his clothing received Best Invention accolades. Today, Dr. Watts serves as CEO of Kanga Klothing, Inc., as well as an administrator with the Syracuse (NY) School District.

Students eligible for the Kanga Klothing/Watts Education Re-Enrollment Center Resilience Scholarship are accepted undergraduate students at SUNY Brockport who are either first-time freshman or transfer students. Applicants must demonstrate a commitment to becoming an educator, the potential for academic excellence, and show how they have overcome adversity in their life through their academic, emotional, and social resilience. Preference will go to students who have a permanent residency in central or western New York, who plan to enter the Childhood Inclusive Education – Multidisciplinary Education Program, and who identify with an historically underrepresented minority group, especially those who identify as Black or African American.