ORLANDO, Fla. — It has been a few days since renowned Central Florida businessman Harris Rosen passed away, and the news has spread throughout the Central Florida community.

A 23-year-old resident from Tangelo Park who went on to graduate from Rollins College through the Harris Rosen Scholarship says Rosen’s continued support and generosity over the years largely contributed to his success.

Now, he’s working to pay it forward.

What You Need To Know

  • Renowned Central Florida businessman and hotel mogul Harris Rosen passed away Monday at 85 years old

  • His influence inspired many young people in the Tangelo Park community to achieve their dreams and go on to higher education

  • Among those young people is a 23-year-old Rollins College graduate and Harris Rosen Scholarship recipient from Tangelo Park named Akheem Mitchell

  • Mitchell benefited from two components of the Tangelo Park program, including the free preschooling services and full-ride scholarship to a Florida college

Akheem Mitchell is one of many success stories to come out of Harris Rosen’s Tangelo Park program. 

The Harris Rosen Scholarship recipient graduated from Rollins College last year with a double major in philosophy and political science.

Now, Mitchell is getting ready to go to law school, and he says none of this would’ve been possible without Rosen’s help.

“It, in a sense, is a butterfly effect of how his kindness and generosity was starting the program and me benefiting from the program led me to where I am today,” Mitchell says.

Rosen launched the Tangelo Park Program in 1993 with the goal of using education to turn around the underserved community. When he started the program, the graduation rate from high school was about 30%, according to Orange County. 

Today, the high school graduation rate in Tangelo Park is close to 100%.

It has become a place of hope and opportunity for people like Mitchell.

He says that having someone like Rosen simply show up for young people like him made a world of a difference.

“You know, when I think of Mr. Rosen, I think of someone who empowered us or my community through his intentional support and generosity to believe that we are more than just what society defines us to be,” Mitchell says.

The program has provided free preschooling services to children 2 to 4 years old in Tangelo Park since 1993.

Also included are full college scholarships for every graduating high school senior from the area. 

Those are two components that Mitchell says he benefited from and owes in large part to Rosen.

Mitchell says he learned the essence of what hard work was about from the hotelier, paving the way for him to earn his bachelor’s degree with a full ride.

Beyond work ethic, Rosen instilled in him a passion for learning that he hopes to carry on.

“My whole entire mindset while I was doing these things wasn’t 'I want to do this for the title or the recognition'," Mitchell says. "No, I wanted to be able to have an impact that was similar to the impact that Mr. Rosen had on me.”