“We moved to Centerville and my sister and I were the only black people in the school we attended,” Cosby said.
Cosby’s father wanted his children to get to know everyone, so he involved them in organizations like the Salvation Army in downtown Dayton.
“I had great people around me who treated me like family from day one,” Cosby said.
After attending Centerville High School for two years, he finished his high school career at Miami Valley School after his basketball coach recommended the change.
“I met the basketball coach at Miami Valley School, and I liked him,” Cosby said. “So I toured the school, took the entrance test and won a scholarship.”
That time in his life opened Cosby’s eyes to the world of colleges and opportunities. While he applied to several colleges, Dennison University in Granville, Ohio ended up offering him the best scholarship package.
“I majored in communication so I could work in television and media like my dad,” Cosby said.
He graduated from Denison in 2008 and went to work in sales at Cox Radio. And on the side, he was coaching basketball to kids.
“It was then that I realized my passion was in education,” Cosby said. “It wasn’t that I wasn’t good at sales, I just didn’t love it.”
In 2010, Cosby went back to school to get a master’s degree in counseling at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond.
But before returning to Dayton again, Cosby took a job at the University of Wisconsin at Parkside as a residence hall director, where he lived in a building with the students. His goal was to return to Ohio one day. Then at a wedding of a friend in Dayton, he met the woman who would one day be his wife, Jena.
“We started dating and I got a job at Xavier University in Cincinnati,” Cosby said. “We got married in February of 2015.”
Still living in a residence hall in Cincinnati, Cosby needed a change after he married Jena, who had a young son. He went to work at the University of Dayton in the financial aid office where he helped students navigate financial age packages. He moved around and even tried his hand at sales again.
“I knew financial aid and ended up getting a job at the School of Advertising Art,” Cosby said. “I loved the job and supporting students.”
After a year, he went to work at Central State University as a senior financial aid officer. Then in 2020, he was sent home along with the rest of the country, to work remotely during the pandemic. By that time, he and his wife had a daughter Baylee, who is now 5 years old.
“I went back in person to Central State and was looking for another opportunity because it felt my career was going nowhere,” Cosby said. “My mom (Reva Cosby) was the new superintendent at Trotwood Schools, and I asked for her advice. She introduced me to Shannon Cox, the superintendent over all Montgomery County schools.”
Through Cox, Cosby learned about a new program called “Preschool Promise,” and was intrigued. They had a part time job available.
“I told them I needed a full-time job,” Cosby said. “They basically handed me grant money and told me to build a new scholarship program for preschool teachers.”
Within the first three months on the job, Cosby had the program up and running. Then one day Robyn Lightcap, the executive director of Preschool Promise, pulled Cosby into her office and told him about a new program coming to Dayton called Bottom Line.
“I interviewed over a three-month period for the executive director position with Bottom Line Ohio,” Cosby said. “I got the job, and they said it was impressive that my boss recommended me for the role.”
Today, Cosby is celebrating completing his first year as the leader of the program that has a mission to help minority students from under-resourced communities get into college and launch successful careers after earning their degrees.
“Our goal for the first year was to accept 180 students but we ended up taking 210,” Cosby said. “We provide services to students up to six years of college and continue to support them six months after graduation.”
Building a successful program from the ground is hard work. But today, Bottom Line has programs in Boston, Chicago, New York and now, Dayton, Columbus and Cincinnati.
“A year ago I never thought I would be doing this,” Cosby said. “Success is a combination of good luck, hard work and a support system. I am forever grateful to Robyn Lightcap and my two great parents. The world feels different to me now and I hope to continue serving these students for as long as possible.”
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