( CNN ) -- Hill Harper , star of the CBS series `` CSI : NY , '' founded the Manifest Your Destiny Foundation to empower young people through mentoring , scholarship and grant programs . Harper , who is also a best-selling author and a graduate of Harvard Law School and the Kennedy School of Government , served on the Blue Ribbon Panel that selected this year 's Top 10 CNN Heroes . He recently spoke to CNN about the Heroes campaign and his philanthropy . Below are excerpts from that interview . CNN : Why did you decide to name your organization the Manifest Your Destiny Foundation ? Hill Harper : Well , the name comes from the subtitle of my first book [ `` Letters to a Young Brother : Manifest Your Destiny '' ] and so what I wanted to do was take some of the profits from that and create this foundation . I started to find that a lot of our young people just do n't have mentors . They do n't have individuals to help them navigate their journey . `` Manifest your destiny '' means what it is : If you have a dream , if you have a goal , let 's figure out how to get you there . The foundation started in 2005 , and to date we 've had 120 kids go through the program . But we 've had nearly 2,000 kids be touched by the program , whether it 's us going out and speaking to groups of kids and donating books or having them come to our toy drives and then getting some kind of lessons . CNN : One of your programs specifically targets teens between eighth and ninth grades . Why is that ? Harper : I 'm very proud of the Summer Empowerment Academy because , if you look at the data with the dropout rates , a lot of times you can predict who 's not going to make it through high school . An eighth-grader , coming out with a 2.8 [ grade-point average ] or below , their chance of dropping out of high school -- if you 're a male , particularly an African-American male -- is almost 80 percent . And so we want to catch these kids who are potentially falling through the cracks as they make this transition , to really bolster their foundation for getting through high school and getting on to college . It 's free to all the students . Right now it 's in Los Angeles alone , but we 're looking to expand it nationally . CNN : Did you have any mentors who helped you succeed ? Harper : My father , obviously , and my mother were inspirations . My uncle , Frank Harper , he was an absolute mentor for me . I had a professor in college , professor Martin Martell , he pushed me . He said I was n't working hard enough even though I was doing well , and he said : `` Well is n't good enough . We want you to excel . We want you to be excellent . '' So I had people who really pushed me , and most of us , we either rise or fall based on the expectations that are placed upon us . And I think there 's too many of our young people out there where we 're not expecting enough of them . We 're expecting less . And even when we look in the mirror , oftentimes we 're expecting less and less of ourselves . And so what 's that about ? So I really am in that camp of `` let 's go for it . '' Let 's go big . Dream big , and then double your dreams , and you still have n't dreamed big enough . CNN : Turning to CNN Heroes , what was it like being on the Blue Ribbon Panel ? Harper : I really enjoyed it . It was very humbling but at the same time inspiring , because everyone -- even the individuals that were n't ultimately chosen [ for the Top 10 ] -- were very inspiring . It reinforces that there are so many out there doing good things for others that you 'd never know about or hear about . That 's why CNN Heroes is a very special and a much-needed thing . CNN : You 've been to `` CNN Heroes : An All-Star Tribute '' before . How does it compare to other awards shows you 've been to ? Harper : I love it because you get into Hollywood awards season and oftentimes it feels like Hollywood is giving Hollywood awards . This is giving out awards to people who are n't connected in any way shape or form to Hollywood or anything like that -- there 's no nepotism or old-boy or old-girl network . We are literally celebrating what 's best and what 's right , people who are serving others . I just really enjoyed being there . CNN : Why is it important to recognize everyday people changing the world ? Harper : Because at the end of the day , that 's the only way the world is going to change . Change happens from the bottom up -- all of us as individuals deciding that we will and we do have an impact . We 've just come through voting season , and so many people think , `` My vote does n't matter . '' What if the people who are CNN Heroes felt that way : `` I ca n't change the world . '' These people prove that no matter how much you have or do n't have , you can have a positive impact and better the human condition and this world so we all win . Their image just reminds us of that and challenges me to be a better person . CNN : What is a hero to you ? Harper : For me , it 's someone who is living with courage . The root is 'cor ' which means heart , and to me all of the CNN Heroes represent courage because they are living from the heart . And that 's what they inspire me to do .
Hill Harper is encouraging youth through his Manifest Your Destiny Foundation . The `` CSI : NY '' star says we 're not expecting enough out of young people these days . Harper says CNN Heroes inspire him to be better : `` Change happens from the bottom up ''