When Roxanne Diaz graduates next year from Woodrow Wilson High School in Youngstown, she will be the first in her family to attend college.”A lot of kids go to college and have no idea what to expect,” said Diaz, who wants to be a medical missionary.Diaz is one of nearly 200 black, Appalachian American, Hispanic/Latino American, Asian American and Native American high school students from nine cities across Ohio who participated in the Samuel DuBois Cook Summer Scholar Conference last week at Ohio State.The Young Scholars program was created in 1988 to help provide strong academic preparation and financial aid to students from poor families. Racial, ethnic and cultural groups not fully represented in degree programs at Ohio`s four-year institutions of higher education are targeted, said program spokeswoman Lisa Hamler-Podolski. It is sponsored by the Office of Minority Affairs. Without air conditioning, the blazing heat in Bradley Hall didn`t stop the high-achieving group from rising at 5:45 every morning for a full schedule of motivational speakers, career seminars, academic classes and personal development workshops.Special events included a taped meeting with Prince DaJour, from Black Entertainment Television`s “Teen Summit,” and a keynote address by Million Man March speaker Ayinde Jean-Baptiste.The conference concluded Friday with a basketball competition between the Scholars and OSU officials, including President William “Brit” Kirwan. “We put a lot of effort and money into making this conference special because we want the Scholars to know how special they are,” said Paula H. Smith, acting director of the Young Scholars Program.”There are more minority students between the ages of 18 and 25 serving time in prison than attending college,” said Bryan Cunningham, senior coordinator for the Young Scholars Columbus office.The program seems to be working. Out of the 203 students inducted in 1988, about 93 came to OSU and about 50 went to other universities and colleges, Smith said.One such student is Kelly Robinson, an OSU accounting major from Columbus.”I`ve always wanted to go to college, but I didn`t know at the time how I was going to go,” she said. “Being in Young Scholars made me work harder at academics during middle school and high school.”Because of her grades, Robinson received scholarships to attend other universities but chose OSU because she was familiar with the school after attending previous Young Scholars summer conferences on campus.During her first quarter at OSU, Robinson gave birth to her son, Michael. She took two weeks off and came back.”I didn`t want to miss the opportunity,” she said. Now, Michael is nearly three years old. “Mothers have to prioritize,” she said about managing work-study, classes and parenting. “This is a priority.”Buckeye football player Antoine Winfield and basketball player Neshaun Coleman are some of the more well-known Young Scholars now attending OSU. This year the university will graduate Ebony McKnight, the first Young Scholar from the 1988 selection class to graduate.Young Scholars are nominated in their respective school districts by teachers, counselors or principals during their sixth grade year. Currently, 782 Scholars across Ohio are enrolled in the pre-college program, Hamler-Podolski said. She said the program is unique to OSU.”This morning in class, they asked us what was our greatest accomplishment,” Diaz said. “Almost everyone in the class said being a Young Scholar was one of their greatest accomplishments.”