45 graduates celebrate commencement at Pease Auditorium
Pathways to Success and Ann Arbor Adult Education celebrated the 45 graduates in the class of 2024 on Tuesday, June 4th at Pease Auditorium.
2024 graduates shared their stories of overcoming obstacles, the impact of COVID interrupting their education and how their families and the staff at Pathways to Success provided them what they needed to finish high school.
Jaqueline Lewis shared that she made a conscious decision to believe in herself and work to improve her life, that not even the tragic loss of her son to gun violence two years ago stopped her from getting her diploma. “I learned how to transform my pain into power, using my struggles to keep moving forward and never give up,” Lewis said. “Therefore this diploma represents more than just academic achievement that allows me to pursue my chosen career as a social worker, I believe it is important to have a productive impact on families and children, helping them to better their lives.”
Dean Shaenu Micou shared with the graduates that they are the future of our community. He said that’s really important right now because the world is pretty upside down, with many of our issues tied to people not taking care of each other. He said the grads need to remember what they’ve done in getting their diploma and breaking the chain. Micou said the success graduates were celebrating came as they stood on the shoulders of giants who were willing to take the time and use their resources to lift up others. “Class of 2024 this is truly your time, you are brilliant, you’re beautiful, now is your time to fully, truly believe if and go and transform this world,” he said.
Interim Superintendent Jazz Parks added that in overcoming the challenges of COVID, the Pathways graduating seniors showed what it means to be truly resilient. “The class of 2024 has shown us time and time again that you are capable of handling and doing hard things,” Parks said. “You have persevered and you have emerged stronger and you are prepared and ready for the journey that lies ahead.”
The 2024 graduating class from Pathways earned over $50,000 in scholarships, including ones tied to the partnership with the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation and the Ann Arbor Rotarians with the Students Taking Renewed Interest in the Value of Education program or STRIVE. Also recognized were the Dean’s Distinguished Honors Award recipients Re’Mear Brown and Wisdom Smith.
You can watch CTN’s complete broadcast of the graduation ceremony here. Check out more photos from the event on the Ann Arbor Public Schools Facebook page.
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