 Good evening everyone my name is Christina de la Rosa and I would like to tell you that today is a day I have been looking forward to and will always remember It was a rough year for me working being a full-time mommy and also attending school. I Didn't think it was possible for me to go back to school After four years and actually graduate with my diploma But it was all possible thanks to Cooper Academy the teachers at Cooper are so patient and encourage every student to believe that We can achieve These teachers never allow me to say I could not miss Barnes pushed me to attend mr. Johnson's math tutoring sessions where I learned many new strategies Our awesome person, but mr. Z always kept all of us on a positive note and insisted that we attended tutoring sessions and participated in our classrooms It was all possible for me to attend Cooper Academy with the help of miss Morgan Who assisted me with daycare for my children why I attended school being a parent and going to school is not easy And for this I think Cooper Academy has played a big part in my life as well as my children's many of us here tonight Are not only daughters and sons, but also mothers and fathers We have worked hard to earn this diploma for ourselves and to provide a good example for our children Many of us have to have I'm sorry. Most of us have had to cross many obstacles In our life and as well as many situations, but tonight pat yourselves on the back Because with your hard work and the help of our teachers miss Barnes miss Mendoza mr. Johnson mr. Delargarza miss shipment miss Flores miss Rendon mr. Boone We made it the office staff at Cooper Academy miss Ramon miss Alatorra miss Latterio helped us to guide us in the right direction Mr. Robles and our councillor miss Gonzalez worked as a team to help us reach our goals and I would like to personally thank them I will also want to thank mr. Velas for not only bringing us breakfast and lunch But for also bringing a smile and words of encouragement Finally, thank you miss Morgan and staff at the Fox Tech daycare for helping me with daycare assistance You have all been a big part in making this possible for all of us on behalf of the tire Cooper Academy class 2012 I would like to thank San Antonio independent school district for allowing Cooper Academy to be an option for us Finally and most importantly, I would like to give a special thanks to my mother my father my family for encourage me to return back to school This is not only the end, but the beginning of our voyage all of us here tonight are living proof of our school model Our past is not our future. Thank you and congratulations class of 2012 Good evening ladies and gentlemen before I stop my speech, I would like to acknowledge my parents Joan Janet Reimer Thank you for thank you for making me. Thank you for making me become the wonderful respectable young lady. I am today Hello, my name is Janika Reimer. I'm going to tell you a little bit about myself and how I came to Cooper's Academy Well, I'm from Brooklyn, New York, and I'm 19 years old When I was small, I always wanted to be known. So at the age of six, I saw a guy named Johnny Cochran Talking about people he defended in court and how he put his heart and soul in every case that he had From that day, I knew I was gonna be a lawyer and nobody's gonna stop me from reaching my goals In middle school, I was on the honor roll in the elementary middle school and most of my years at high school My parents informed me in the 11th grade that I was moving to San Antonio, Texas. I Was kind of upset because I was doing grade in school and I had so much stuff going for myself I was gonna get an internship at a law firm in New York I was working at a daycare and I was taking college classes after school It was at the end of my junior year that I made the move to Texas in the beginning in the beginning of my senior year They teachers told me that I have to take a test called the tax test. I Knew it will be easy. I thought it'll be really easy because I was doing classes So I was like passing classes like nothing and plus I'm a good student Well, my results came back and I found out that I passed my English and my social studies But failed my math and science in my classes I was having a hard time with the science and not even paying attention to the math Suddenly graduation arrived and I could not graduate on my class because I have not passed all my tax tests So I went to summer school and I had to retake the math and science tax at the end of summer school I found out that I passed my math with a high score and Failed my science by one point. I was really upset now so My mother she called the board and they referred her to Cooper's Academy My I quickly realized that at Cooper's the whole entire staff really cares about you and want you to be successful in life My main teachers was Ms. Shipman and Mr. Flores Even though I did not pass my the test the first time around when I was in Cooper's Academy These teachers never let me give up. Mr. Flores is a great teacher and he helped me so much And I understand his method and it all made sense to me the thing that I learned from Ms. Shipman helped me out too The other teachers and the staff at Cooper's always encouraged me and made me believe that I can pass So when I took when I took the science tax test again in March I was equipped with knowledge and geared up with confidence And I finally passed. Thank you Lord I just wanted to say That we all have learned that when we are sick and tired of taking the test that we failed a time or two We kept on trying all of us sitting here tonight have finally passed. Thank you Lord Jesus Christ Anyway You need to know that if you kept if you keep on trying and trying you will reach the top and Succeed being at Cooper's Academy made me realize that I want every I know everybody here has their own stories But one story that we have in comment is that we are finally here. I'm so proud of this graduation class We are so close to our dreams and I think I speak for everybody when I say thank you Cooper's Academy for having the patience the respect and Guidance and the staff you have helped us reach you have helped us reach the right way to succeed For Cooper's Academy I'm proudly to say that I am a student of San Antonio College and I'm five way I'm five years away for being the first lawyer in my family all thanks to Cooper's Academy Hello, my name is Samuel Escher Martinez It is truly a dream come true to speak at my graduation three years ago I did not see myself graduating with a diploma let alone speaking in my graduation three years ago I was about to settle for a GED I Was home schooled by my mother and my mother and my brothers and I were doing well But we did not have the finances to get the curriculum. We needed to get a diploma We were running out of options, but in my heart. I knew I did not want a GED, but a diploma. I Never wanted to settle for less than the best My brothers and I were given an opportunity to go into a program called gay to college It was a dual credit program at San Antonio College From then on my dream became my goal It was a great college experience, but it didn't get easy We had to deal with a roller coaster of school supporting us and dropping us from their existence Twice we had to deal with that, but the third school on the other hand with a totally different story Cooper Academy put my brothers and I under their wings and treat us with respect and For the rest of the time that we were at Gateway, Mrs. Z The principal of Cooper would show up and check on us and make sure we were okay There was this one time on Sunday morning after church. Mrs. Z came to our doorstep My whole family was shocked. It soon left an emotional impression on my mother Once scary was forced to close its doors I moved to Cooper I Was devastated, but the staff at Cooper helped me to get to not give up They pushed me to success Now my goal has become my accomplishment These past three years I have dreamed and I followed my dreams. I turned them to goals and I've accomplished my goals Three years ago. I dreamed of getting a diploma. So I made it my goal Now it is my accomplishment. I have this encourage you to all that your dreams can become reality And that there are people who want to see your dreams become reality, too Before I go, I would like to thank the school board and Dr. Pettis for the opportunity to attend Cooper Academy Finally, Mr. Z my mother and my two brothers that also a graduate tonight Thank you, and we love you. Good evening parents teachers board members, especially the class of 2012 I'm Tony Cardenas, and I really didn't think I would see this day in my life Graduation was not going to be possible if I continued the path that I was on before I found Cooper Academy There was a time that I was a class clown and not the teacher's favorite I had played around in school and classes and got into trouble I had different priorities, and I didn't I really did not put academics and learning at the top of the list. I Was not considering my future at all, and I did not realize my future would come without a high school diploma As well as I felt further and further behind I started realizing that all of my playing around was a high price to pay for no education College was not in my future without a diploma nor was the job going to be available without a diploma. Where was I headed? Then my grandmother heard of a school about a school one day And she brought me to Cooper Academy where I met Mr. Zatterin and suddenly my future looked bright Mr. Z promised me that he would work with me and be in my corner Which brings me here to where I am right now standing here on this very stage I would have been here last year, but I was actually in Thailand in Cambodia when I got the news I had passed the math tax That was the test that was haunting me and I had taken it and I had not passed But mr. Johnson never gave up on me and he continued to teach me and provide me with the skills that I needed In order to pass not only the test but pass it with a high score With this final obstacle removed. I was a graduate I now recognize the true value of this achievement and that the reason for my return to the stage tonight Thank you to my family my teachers and especially mr. Z and the staff of Cooper Academy. I Truly really want to thank you guys though really seriously give yourself a round of applause