 Good morning. Thank you all for coming to the graduation of the 2016 YBA class. I am Sonny Waterman. I am the director of Youth Building Alternatives. In about five seconds, the graduates will be coming in. So would you please stand and remain standing as they walk into the auditorium? First, I'd like to thank the Portland Public Library, who so graciously always allows us to use this space. And we truly appreciate their generosity. These students that you see before you have started YBA in January and successfully completed all the requirements, which were developed based on their individual strengths and needs. But their comprehensive program included a variety of components. They had academic instruction, which focused on high set test preparation. And or they had to demonstrate growth in math, reading, and writing. They had vocational training. The NCCER requirements were in carpentry. They participated in the pro start culinary arts program. Hospitality certifications and guest service gold were earned. They worked on the front desk representative certification, restaurant server, and maintenance worker. Many of them have an OSHA 10 certification, a serve safe certification. They had JMG classes, which prepared them to obtain and maintain a job. They participated in leadership classes, career and post-secondary education preparation classes, and community service projects at many organizations, such as Wayside Food Pantry, Wolf's Neck Farm, Greater Portland Animal Refuge League, and Ronald McDonald House. We are extremely proud of these students and honored to share in their commencement ceremony. The first speaker today, I would like to introduce and welcome our interim CEO at LearningWorks, Shana Bellows, who will share congratulatory remarks to our graduates. Thank you. Thank you so much, Sonny. And I want to thank the Portland School superintendent, Javier. I'm going to mess up your last name, Linda. Thank you. And the assistant superintendent, Jeannie Crocker, for being here with us as well. And thank you, Sonny. Congratulations, class of September 2016. We are so proud of you. And I won't say that it's easy to graduate in June, but I will say that it shows particular tenacity and determination to graduate in September. And we are so proud of every one of you for sticking with YBA all summer long during the best months in Maine and completing the requirements for today's graduation. We really appreciate your work with us over the past year. As the interim executive director, and I'm really excited because we're going to have Heather Davis is starting as the permanent executive director of LearningWorks later this month. But as the interim executive director, it's a unique opportunity to hear what people really think about LearningWorks. And the YouthBuild program, the YBA program has a tremendous reputation, a hugely positive perception of the work that you do in the community. And part of that is because of the work of folks like your director, Sonny Waterman, and Tom Cain, and the teaching staff. And that is huge and critical, and we deserve to thank them very much for that. Part of that reputation is based on your performance. People see the work that you do in the community. They see your performance both at YBA and then beyond. They've seen what your former classmates have gone on to do. And that is a huge part of LearningWorks' positive reputation. It's why we have so many young people interested in continuing with YPA. They trust you and the path that you've helped chart. And so I have three pieces of advice for you as you move forward beyond this graduation that I want you to keep in mind. And the first piece is always to remember how uniquely amazing each one of you truly is. You have overcome personal and academic obstacles that are unique, and you have prevailed, and you have succeeded. And your stories and your background will make you uniquely qualified for leadership in these times in our society. You are amazing. You're really important. The second piece of advice I have is to be kind to yourself, because none of us are perfect. We all make mistakes every single day. But you made a choice when you walked through the door of YBA. And you're making a choice today as you graduate and go on, whether it's to employment or to post-secondary education. And so be kind to yourself in all of the choices that you make and recognize that every day is a choice to try harder, to do better, to keep persevering, to show that courage and determination that every one of you showed all summer long when you could have been at the beach, but instead you came to YBA. Just as you're kind to yourself, I encourage you to always be respectful and kind to others. We're living in an extraordinarily challenging times where sometimes it seems like kindness and civility to one another and respect are in short supply. And all of you completed the mental toughness curriculum and workshops that Sony inculcated and oversaw. And mental toughness, part of mental toughness is being kind and being respectful of others. You'll have teachers in the future that are just as awesome as your teachers here. You'll have teachers for whom sometimes it'll be hard to respect. You'll have employers who are just as thoughtful and supportive as Dave Connors is on a construction project. But sometimes you'll have employers who are difficult or demanding or less patient. And the respect that you showed that you learned and that you demonstrated here at YBA that brought you to this point of graduation today is a respect that will make you do well in the future to show that mental toughness in post-secondary education or employment every day and to forgive others for mistakes just as you forgive yourself for your mistakes. And with that, I would say you can do anything that you put your minds to. You have already proven it to us time and time again. Today is a huge day, and I know for some of you classes start imminently. It's not the end, it's just the beginning. It's not the most important day of your life. Those are yet to come, but with YBA you've built a really strong foundation. We thank you for showing respect to yourself, for recognizing your amazing possibilities and potential in this program, and for showing respect to others throughout the program. Thank you for creating a culture and a climate of positivity that's making so many applicants want to come to YBA in October. Thank you for being such rock stars. We're really grateful. Congratulations. Thank you so much, Shana. That was very special words. I don't like this now. I do want to digress just a second. If you graduated from YBA, would you stand up? YBA is a large family that keeps getting larger and larger, and I'm really excited to see so many graduates here sharing with these students. We also have three or four of you hiding back there. Put your hand up or stand up if you're still going to YBA and you're in the next group. They're here also. So give them a hand. And many of these students, we will see back in the building on Tuesday. We're happy. All right. All of our students have earned awards throughout the year, primarily for attendance and for our ratings. They do a great job showing up every day. It's kind of amazing because these are students who rarely went to their regular schools for a long time, and all of a sudden, they have like 100% attendance. And they've done an amazing job. Put your hand up if you had an attendance award this year. How about a citizenship award? And every one of you should have your hand up now. Let's see all of you that got the citizenship award. So it is my honor to bestow upon you the final award of the year. Each one of these students have earned awards in various areas, and it was very difficult. We sat down as a staff and tried to decide who would receive an award for which area. And it was not a simple task. Many of them crossed over and excelled in all components. But we had to make decisions. And I am going to call you up to get your award. You ready? Are you nervous? Great. Love it. All right. The first award is for career pathways. And he worked so hard on his pathway that he's had a job for the last two months, I believe. Joshua Teague, come on up here. Many of these students excelled in the classroom. Some of them weren't old enough to take a high set when they were ready. So they're still going to be doing that this summer. But we had quite a few awards for classroom. The first one in the area of math is Justin Shiplet. The next one in the area of written language and language arts primarily is Rachel Blair. Come on up here. Another award in English. This child is a natural writer and expresses herself so well. Soleil McDonald, young adult. Sorry, girl babies. This young man has done such a great job in classroom that he is currently, now I'm going to cry, attending SMCC. Victor, not doing this. OK. These awards are for job site. These students have to renovate an apartment or low income housing. They also have done amazing work over at Washington Gardens restoring and rebuilding some ramps. They've done all kinds of things out at Wolf's Neck Farm. They've built picnic tables, redone the shop downstairs. They've just done a lot of work. So for job site excellence, Zeke Stubbs. And the next one is for Caleb Solo. Next job site award is James C.V. And our final, I believe, job site award is for Darren Russo. Now, we have quite a few students in this group who love to cook. They never bring any back for me, but it's all right. Yeah, OK. So the culinarians in this group who really are, you know, you want them to cook for you. Josiah Giusti. Borresta Briana. And Austin, Ryan, and Corridor. We also have jobs for main graduates classes. And these students do a lot of things to prepare for a career, for going on to college. And they work on job skills, interviewing, completing applications, just being all around ready for those next steps. And so the JMG Excellence Award goes to Edelette Giusti. One of our students who was not able to attend today, who is also enrolled and currently going to classes at SMCC, she received an award of her hospitality because before she left us a month ago to go to work, she earned the front desk representative and the restaurant server hospitality certification. So Mira Murray has a hospitality award. And you'll hear more about this student later when we read the blurbs. But this is the award for the most improved. We were kind of amazed at the progress that this student made. And he has just done an about face. And we're very proud of him. So for most improved, TJ. These are the ones that are going to get even a little tougher. I have barely got through those. As we were talking in the staff meetings, as we frequently do, we do talk about you guys when you're not there. It's amazing to us the transformation that some of these students have made. And they've all come such a long way and made the most amazing transformations from when they started back in January. But the one that was really apparent to us, and we've just seen such an improvement in her attitude. I know if you talk to anybody, her attendance has improved. She's just become a gentler, kinder, more focused young lady. So the most amazing transformation award goes to Breonna. And then sometimes I choose to give a director's award to a couple of students who have just really kind of gone above and beyond. And maybe weren't even noticed. They just kind of worked quietly and were there every day, did everything they were asked to do and more, completed all the program requirements, kind of superseded anyone's expectations. So I have two students that I would like to present the director's award to. The first one is Rachel Blair. And the second one is Justin Shipland. And then we have the tough decision at the end of the year of deciding on the student of the year. And it is typically someone who exemplifies all those characteristics and qualities that we're looking for, who made that decision back at the beginning to change their lives, to do something important with their lives and to keep moving forward. Way to go Bella. Keep moving forward and made us proud. I believe she's proud of the accomplishments that she has survived throughout this year. So the student of the year for this cohort is Edelette. Where are we? Thank you. Many of our students are talented writers and have the unique ability to articulately express themselves. Very articulately. We are lucky to have four graduates who will address you this morning. And I would like to introduce the first one. So please welcome our first speaker, Caleb Solo. Good morning. Welcome to learning works graduation. Today you see the kids that wanted this day more than anything. You see a handful of kids who high school did not work for them in any way. High school could have worked for me, but I couldn't work for high school. I was having a baby and with two more years of high school, just wasn't gonna work out. I needed a faster way to get to college for the sake of my baby. My goal, my goal coming to YBA was to just take everything that I can and put it towards getting a job and applying for college. So for the time that I've been here, I have got my NCCER and culinary certificate and I almost have my hospitality. I have two more high sets to take before I go to college in spring. Now all I need is a job to provide for my new family. This program has given me the tools in my resume to strike my employer's attention. I will not change a thing about YBA. I truly will never forget YBA and all the friends that I've met here. All the people here that I have met and watched grow together. And I also wanted to say to all the people that did not think I would graduate because of my daughter, I graduated. Thank you and I would like to welcome a fellow graduate, Brianna, to speak. Hello, my name is Brianna Rodding and today is the day we gather together for one amazing event. Either you're here to see your child, niece, nephew, grandchild, or friend, but you're all here to take in this beautiful moment to see your king graduate. Honestly, almost a year ago, I couldn't see where I am today or how I was going to get any closer to the progress I've already made. And it makes me so proud to say that I finally made it. I used to attend the Westbrook High School but I was also getting severely bullied there. It was hard to make the decision to drop out despite of the bullying and not being able to keep up with all the work. It was hard to keep up with the work because the teachers there never really gave me any other time due to the other students in the classroom. When I went to Deering High, it went a little bit easier. As there was one teacher who was willing to give me her time to make sure I understood how to do the work. I'm happy I made the choice to go to IBA. Honestly, it was the best thing I could have done for myself. I wonder why BA helped me set me straight and also helped me get my things together to make a better and brighter future for myself. It also helped the other students that are here graduating. Starting out at YBA was a little scary at first because I didn't know who was going to be in my classes or who I was going to know. It gave me a whole lot more confident knowing that I had a lot of friends to come along with this journey with me. It was awesome to have my friends here but it also motivated me to come in and do my work every day. Also, having friends here helped me come out of my show from being shy and not talkative. Having a job site and classroom on different days did help me stay focused on my work for the days that was in classroom. Having Morgan, Sony, and Lindsay here to help me whenever I was having an off day, they helped me calm down on some days and some I just needed space. But they also respected that some of the kids here needed space to calm down. In public school, they probably was sent me to this in some principal's office and sometimes they made things okay. Other days, not very much. The thing I loved the most was after a couple months of coming to YBA, everyone became one big family and Sony was a mother hen to her baby chicks. I'd never imagined I'd be so close to everyone here in this room in the past graduates. A memory that stands out from many at YBA was a past graduate came into leadership class one day and we watched a couple of videos. When class was over, we had free time to talk and a past graduate named Justin had talked about seeing a deer swim for the first time. I remember this date as clear because it was too funny. The fact that he made us all die laughing when he tried showing us how a deer swim. We all burst out laughing and then Justin showed us a video of the deer swimming and it looked exactly how he was performing so early. It was a good day that ended with lots of laughter. When I entered the program, I had goals of graduating, getting a good job and having my own place. Over the nine months I've been here, I've been present in here every day except for when I was sick and I had my surgeries. I want to tell everyone in this room graduating from YBA today to remember when people told us for dropping out, we wouldn't make it. Now you can tell them that you're wrong and we made it without you. I'll never forget any of you and you all are the best. I'll miss you guys dearly and I hope I'll be able to see you guys outside of school and chill with you. Now, will you guys give a round of applause to the next speaker? I'd like to call Soleil McDonald to the stage. My name is Soleil McDonald and I'm reading a poem that I wrote in our English class. Lindsay came to us one day and told us, you know what, I think that you guys deserve some creative writing and I really appreciated it and she really helped me, I'm sorry, I'm a little nervous. She really helped me look at the way that I was writing it and structure it in a way that I feel really proud of and I really wanted to share it. So here it is. Just because I would rather feel the rain, soak my skin and tickle my lips, let the wind tear at my hair, expose my thirsty heart, instead of locking myself in a heaving sea of hate, concrete walls selfishly hiding the sun. Just because I cannot parrot and repeat, let my lips speak someone else's words when my own syllables choke me, round sounds and angular breaks, demanding to be spoken, demanding to be heard. Just because I want to learn by watching, by experiencing and touching, by sitting on a tree and feeling at dance, by digging through dirt and underbrush, scrabbling in the dead leaves to find small treasures, dark green taste, my tongue tracing spirals home. Just because I don't learn your way doesn't mean I don't learn, because trees don't test me and among them I can finally just exist. And now I would like to introduce our next and last speaker, Rachel Blair. Hello. It's hard to believe three months ago I was up here and now I'm up here again, actually gown and whatnot. So Brian Tracy, Brian Tracy once wrote, move out of your comfort zone. You can only grow if you're willing to feel awkward and uncomfortable when you try something new. If only it was that easy. When I was younger, I was taught to do only what you're comfortable with and what you love. I lived by that. Growing up, I went through some really tough times and sometimes it was hard to even breathe. I felt the walls were closing on me daily. I heard all the typical remarks. Oh, that makes you, what, sorry. That just makes you stronger or God wouldn't give you something you can't handle. Well, they were wrong. Going through something terrible doesn't make someone stronger. It's what they take from the situations that make them stronger. I didn't do anything but cower away in a corner. I dropped out of high school and started drinking to the point I was an alcoholic. I was ashamed of myself for a long time. Years went by and I found out I was pregnant. Only then I decided I needed to change something in my life. So I quit everything that sued the pain. In April, 2013, I gave birth to a Miss Isabella Rose who you can probably, well, I wasn't saying what's mommy doing, but running around is what, more accurate. And things got better for a while. I tried to go back to school but I was too old. I even tried to find some nice adult classes but had no money and no help. So for the longest time I gave up trying. In the beginning of 2015, I lost my housing and had to move to Maine to live with my dad. And when that failed, I became homeless. Honestly, I freaked out for months. It seemed like everything was breaking down fast and having to pretend to be strong for Isabella was hell. I wasn't what she needed. She needed me to be truly strong. When, oh, sorry. When hope started to feel completely lost, I got into a program for young mothers, the young parent program. If that wasn't awesome enough, I was also informed about this amazing school that helps someone like myself. I was beyond excited when I got accepted. Now nine months later, I'm doing something that even my family didn't think I could do. Graduating. I've gained a lot from YBA. Sonny pushed me to be the best me. Lindsay who taught me to write more. Rodney who made me a better math student. Dave who taught me anyone could do anything. Julie who taught me to cook. Charlie who was always there when I needed to talk. Morgan and Tom who convinced me that college is a great option and also taught me how to get a job. The best thing I gained is a school, scratch that, a family who has never given up on me. Standing here today, I have a diploma, confidence, a home, new friends, and most importantly, I have hope for the future. Never underestimate yourself, never give up, and follow your dreams no matter how hard it is because trust me it pays off in the end. Introduce to our amazing director, Sonny Waterman. Those were fabulous, thank you for sharing with all of us. Each cohort has its unique and distinctive characteristics and this group of students distinguish themselves from the start. They began in early January as the freshman class so to speak, but they were the larger cohort than the group that started in October and who had firmly established themselves in the program. Mental toughness was modified in order to assimilate them and so that they could minimize the distraction and the disruption for the other students who were very leery about these new kids. However, they quickly became one large, happy group of students and within two and a half months they were engaging in all activities including the JMG Career Development Conference and they brought home multiple trophies. They attended YBA for a shorter period of time than any cohort that we've had. They have only been here seven and a half months and of the 18 students that started in January, 16 of them have been eligible to graduate. Two of them from this cohort started at SMCC this week, started their classes, three have been working for at least two months, 15 have earned the NCCER, 13 have taken at least one high set test, four have already earned their high set, 11 have earned their pro start culinary art certificate. They came to YBA as Shana mentioned during the summer months when all their friends were out enjoying time off and hanging out at the beach and many of them have committed to return for the rest of September to finish up those pieces that they didn't quite have time to finish. This is such an amazing group of students and they should be all very proud of all of their accomplishments. One of our strong traditions at YBA is to share appreciations at the end of each day at wrap up. An appreciation is something that you have learned or are grateful for and that helped you in the program. And so I get this opportunity, this is really hard for me, to give one last appreciation for each one of you because you have all been very, very special and I am so grateful that you decided to come and share part of your lives with us. So Darren, you don't have to come up here, don't come up here because I will sob and I didn't bring any tissues. I appreciate your personal strength. When you began, you were somewhat unsure about all your abilities and now you have realized that you are a very strong young man who is very capable and has a lot to offer the world. And I won't put you on the spot but I bet you can say everybody's food name. Yeah, instantly, smart kid. James, I'm not gonna yell at you. I should, but I'm not going to. I appreciate that ability that you have to bounce back. You've had so many struggles and barriers in your life. I'm well aware of that but you always put on that brave face and you push forward and your tough exterior masked all of those inner term oils that are going on but I've enjoyed watching all that you've achieved and I know you'll continue to do so. Zeke, I appreciate having all those conversations with you and we had a lot, had a lot. But you were very thoughtful and self-reflective and you talked your way through things on how that you could do things differently and I thank you for being willing to listen and to make those changes. Good job. Feresta, I appreciate your gratefulness. You're always so appreciative to the staff and your friends, you always remember to say thank you and you just know how to express your gratitude, so thank you. Brianna, I appreciate your big heart and your genuine smile. You've worked through some really tough situations this year and you always emerge with a renewed spirit and a sense of optimism. Nothing seemed to get you down for too long and so many other students have benefited from your positive energy, so thank you. Soleil, I appreciate that gentle nature and insightfulness. You tend to put others' needs before you and before your own needs and sometimes that derails you along your way but you're a strong, competent young lady who has the will and ability to achieve all that you set your mind to. Rachel, I appreciate your generosity and your compassion and contrary to what you often believe about yourself, you were the solid, constant one who we counted on always to be easygoing, to have a positive attitude and always willing to try new things and help others. Thank you. Victor. What's up? I appreciate your passion. You have a strong sense of commitment to improving your future and the world around you. I've enjoyed witnessing your steady progress and I'm watching you gain that stronger self-confidence and your deeper self-awareness and congratulations on your progress. Worried, aren't you? Yeah, you are. I appreciate, TJ, your effervescence, I can't even say it, and your sometimes goofy personality. Yeah, sometimes. But who can resist that smile and those engaging qualities? You rarely sit still, I'm really impressed that you're sat here this long. We were expecting we were gonna have to chase them around but you could disappear like the speed of light and usually on that skateboard. But I do appreciate your good natureness in allowing me to joke with you. Thank you. I appreciate that dedication. Although you moved, had a daughter, went on vacation, you never wavered from your goals of giving yourself the best that you could be and doing your best and completing this program for you and your family. Thank you. Joshua, I appreciate your quiet nature. You'd arrive early in the morning with me and yet we hardly knew you were there unless you had something to say. We did notice, however, your absence when you started working because although you were quiet, your presence makes a loud statement. Thank you. You're worried too, aren't you? Yeah, you should be. Austin, I appreciate your enthusiasm in everything that you do. You have the potential to be a leader. So I hope that you continue to use those qualities and those talents positively to influence those around you. Thank you. Whoo! Josiah, I appreciate your resiliency. You know, you've had tough times this year, but you've survived on a daily basis. You keep coming back to YBA. You keep starting strong and you persevere through all of it. You've shown your deep inner strength and you have genuinely touched my life in such a wonderful way. Thank you. Justin, I appreciate your willingness to give us a chance and watching you emerge from your hoodie. I see you. You've always been a quiet one at times and it was hard to read you and you weren't always willing to share your thoughts, but your smile and your confidence have become more evidence with each victory and each accomplishment. So thank you, Ship Lap. You ready? Okay. I'm not ready either. Edlett, I appreciate your spirit and your optimism. No matter what happened in your life, you dealt with it and moved on. You didn't let issues interfere with your sense of purpose and your goals. I so enjoy being part of the processing with you and helping you work through all those thoughts in your head and to help you make that plan to move forward. Thank you for choosing YBA. My life has been enriched. Knowing you, thank you. You have all developed an amazing amount of skills which have helped you to move forward and have transformed your lives despite all of your challenges. I should sincerely appreciate you allowing us to be part of that. I am so lucky that you weren't successful someplace else and that you came here. You have a tremendous amount of energy, courage and strength, which inspires me every single day. You have trusted our process. It works. You know now that you can do and you should no longer listen to those voices that tell you that you can't. You started strong. You finished strong. Thank you. All right, we are now at the point where we are going to present the certificates and I am going to invite some folks to the stage and these guys make me cry too. Shana mentioned them but this is the most amazing staff that anybody has ever had the pleasure to work with. I am really lucky to have gotten to this place and found these people who are willing to come through here and help these students because without them, their accomplishments wouldn't been quite as many and as profound. You know, they have worked tirelessly through the summer when their friends are at the beach and have the summer off as teachers and they have made sure that every one of these kids gets what they need. So I am totally blessed in a very unique position to have been allowed to work with all of you so I want to thank the staff and I'm going to introduce each one of them as they come up and be present for the certificates. So the first one is Dave Conner, our vocational teacher. Lindsay Good, our academic and hospitality teacher. Rodney Richard, our academic and vocational teacher. Julie Stone, JMG specialist and culinary arts instructor. Charlie Cook, social worker clinician. Morgan Caudill, our AmeriCorps VISTA who was with this group as they came in. Samantha Funk, our new AmeriCorps VISTA who's going to watch these guys leave. And I don't know, are you the original face of YBA? I think maybe. Our illustrious director of student development who will read the blurbs that our teachers have written for these students, Tom Kane. Thank you, Sonny. All right, let us begin. First graduate, Darren Russo, please. Now you do get to stay here. I'm going to say this time. Yeah, yeah, this time you do stay. So Darren arrived at our school with a smile, infectious energy and a desire to not just slowly ease his way into things but to leap with both feet as far and as fast as he could. He instantly knew everyone's name and corresponding food in the mental toughness name game. Dealing with some difficult circumstances on the outside, Darren poured his energies into the positive changes he knew existed here at YBA. Always willing to do whatever was asked, Darren jumped right into job site and was an eager sponge absorbing all the facts and information provided to him. Darren was a huge asset in the shop and quickly earned his NCCER as well as being a great help on both our shop projects and rehabbing an apartment unit in Ribbiden Park. In the classroom, Darren easily achieved two years' growth in both math and language arts, completed three of his high set tests and earned his guest service gold hospitality certification. Additionally, Darren completed 30 hours of community service while working at Wolf's Neck Farm and Washington Gardens. Darren has really used his time here to the best of his ability and even though he lives farther away than any other student, we hope that doesn't discourage him from coming back to say hello. Keep moving forward, Darren. You're doing great. Congratulations. Our next graduate, James Sebe. James came to school believing that whatever we had to teach him, he already knew. On job site, it took at least a month before he could be convinced that there was more than one way to complete certain tasks. Once the switch flipped though, he was an active acquirer of knowledge and enjoyed discovering different ways of doing things. He was one of the first of his peers to finish his NCCER certification and always finished whatever shop project we were working on before Dave had finished even explaining it. James had a natural affinity for working with wood. He completed one of his five high set tests, earned his guest services goals certification, completed more than 20 hours of community service and gained a great deal of experience in all of the other academic fields. We'll miss you, James. We hope you come back to fill us in on all your accomplishments. Congratulations. Yeah. Congratulations. Please welcome our next graduate, Zeke Stubbs. Zeke showed up at our school ready to make some big changes in his life. He was unhappy with the direction things were going and had heard through some friends that youth building alternatives beat the heck out of sitting at home, so he came. Zeke was more of a hands-on guy so his favorite days were the job site ones. He excelled at working with wood and quickly took to the cutting and measuring and manipulating of the material. We're not sure how many holes were in Zeke's bedroom walls before he came to YBA but we believe he's fixed them all since. Zeke always had a great attitude and even though he was easily distracted he responded well to redirection and could quickly return to the task at hand. Zeke attained at least two years growth in both math and language arts while in the classroom and he made great headway in both the culinary arts program and hospitality. The thing that one remembers most about Zeke is his mischievous smile, the twinkle in his eyes and his genuine desire to want to improve his life. He's come a long way and we're wicked proud of him. Come back to visit anytime Zeke and keep looking forward because you'll get where you want to go some day. Wish sure of it, congratulations. Please welcome our next graduate, Feresta Conlog, audience here. Feresta is most likely our youngest graduate ever. Just a month ago she became old enough to start taking the high set test and has already passed one. Feresta is a very dedicated student and gives everything her best effort. She quickly passed her NCCI construction certification with flying colors. She also earned her pro-stat certification in culinary arts followed by the serve safe. In hospitality, Feresta earned her guest service gold and then went on to achieve her restaurant server certification. Feresta has not yet filled us in on her dreams for the future although we think she wants to work with animals. She has the motivation and skills to accomplish everything she decides to do. Feresta has been a pleasure to have in class and will bring a great attitude to any place she works. Good luck, Feresta, congratulations. I almost skipped you, I was stuck behind you. Please welcome our next graduate, Brianna Rodding. Brianna is a force of nature. She came into our program with a clear idea of who she was and what mattered to her. We soon saw that Bri is passionate and intensely loyal. She has an enormous heart and will happily go to bat for anyone she sees being treated unkindly. In the past seven months, Bri has maintained her beliefs while honoring her communication, honing her communication skills. We've had the joy of watching Bri grow into a mature young woman and we are so very proud of her. While at YBA, Bri has completed many hours of community service, earned vast gains in reading and math, and gained certifications in NCCER, ProSat, Serve Safe, and Guest Service Gold. We are eager to continue working with Bri as she continues progressing toward her goals. We cannot wait to see what you have future holds. Congratulations, Brianna. And our next graduate, Soleil McDonald. Soleil is an intellectual, artistic, and kind individual. Typically, she could be found hiding behind a good book. Other times, she was deep into a conversation with her peers and teachers. And most of the time, she was avoiding her math work. During her time at YBA, Soleil was part of the Student Policy Committee and was one of a select few who attended JMG's Career Development Conference. She was instrumental in creating and designing our marketplace, which was amazing. Soleil also had the opportunity to display some of her artwork at the first annual regional high school art show at the Casco Bay Odyssey's gallery and even sold a piece that she put into the show. One of the many interesting facts that we learned about Soleil is that she spends an incredible amount of time dressing up in cosplay outfits. Despite several setbacks in her life, Soleil has continued to come to school to work toward her goal of someday attending the Massachusetts College of Art. We wish you the best of luck in reaching the school Soleil. Congratulations. And please welcome our next graduate. I'm sure Bella's going to give you a good welcome. Rachel Blair. When we first met Rachel, she frequently second-guessed herself and seemed to doubt her own abilities. Regardless, Rachel absolutely knew from the start that she wanted to provide her daughter Bella with the best possible life and she was determined to work as hard as necessary to accomplish this goal. While Rachel initially stated that she was here to complete her goals and not make friends, she quickly developed close relationships with her peers. As these friendships grew, her self-doubts began to slip away and Rachel became much more animated and vocal. Before we knew it, she was not only an eager participant in each activity, but she frequently volunteered to demonstrate each task and support any of her peers who seemed to be struggling. Over the past several months, we've seen Rachel develop a passion for teaching, a profession that will be a perfect fit for her kind and patient demeanor. While at YBA, Rachel quickly earned her high set as well as certifications and NCCER, pro-STOT, serve-safe and guest service goal. She has developed the skills to provide herself and Bella with the life they desire. And she will soon be starting an education program in Ohio. Good luck, Rachel. We miss you. We know you'll do wonderfully. Congratulations. Our next graduate, please welcome Victor Molina Flores. Victor arrived as a dapper young man who frequently don suits during his day, to day attendance at YBA. We quickly learned that Victor can and will argue anything from assignments to politics. His knowledge of politics and love of debate will greatly benefit Victor as he progresses into his chosen career of political science, a man after my own heart here. While at YBA, Victor quickly earned his high sets as well as his NCCER. He completed many hours of service at Wolf's Neck Farm and Wayside Food Pantry. Victor began his college career at SMCC this very week and we cannot wait to see where it will lead him. Victor, maintain your tenacity and it will take you far. We are excited to see all of your progress as you move toward your goals. Congratulations. And please welcome our next graduate, TJ McDonough. He's right, Thomas McDonough. TJ has shown us that we definitely need to throw, has shown us that we definitely need to throw preconceived notions out the window. TJ came to YBA feeling that he had very little academic ability because that was how he had been perceived in the past. He is now beginning to realize that he has great academic ability. TJ has passed construction tests with ease, excuse me, and is a math whiz. TJ passed the National Construction Accreditation NCCR and achieved a substantial academic gain. TJ received his culinary certification, but we're not sure if he likes to cook or just cook so he can eat the food. TJ has a charming personality and is always willing to help out. He is a kind and thoughtful young man, excuse me. He has often helped other students with the math work. TJ has an amazing potential. I'm beginning to be like Sonny here, huh? That he has just begun to see. We hope he'll continue at YBA to explore how far he can go. We look forward to beginning his work on the high set. TJ will really enjoy working with you. We really have enjoyed working with you and watching your progress. Always be proud of your progress and don't let anyone tell you you can't do something. Great job, Thomas Jr. And please welcome our next graduate, Caleb Solo. Caleb has done great work at YBA even though he had a great distance to travel and has been busy raising his child. Caleb always puts his child first, which sometimes means it takes him a little longer to reach certain goals. He always persists and has fulfilled his requirements. Caleb has passed his NCCI construction certification, worked on several construction projects. He has earned his culinary pro sat certification and in hospitality Caleb has earned his guest service goal and is working on a front desk certification. Caleb has started taking his high set test and has passed one already. He has always a pleasure to have in class with his pleasant personality and great work ethic. He will be a great team player for any company. Congratulations on all your accomplishments, Caleb. Congratulations. Please welcome our next graduate, Josh T. Josh, as Sonny mentioned, is quiet and determined. Each day that Josh attended our program he would join in the classroom a job site project without hesitation. While Josh presented as very reserved we soon saw him begin to offer his perspective during group discussions. He shared an insightful and sincere view in day-to-day interactions and soon developed relationships with the staff and students in the program. Josh began working at Davis Restaurant this spring where he quickly moved up from a dishwasher to a sous chef or a steward. Sous chef, yes. We saw a bit less of Josh once he began at Davis but he still managed to complete his NCCR, guest service, gold, and progressed through his first two high sets. We're excited to continue working with Josh as he finishes his last few tests. Josh, continue working hard and we know it will take you far. Congratulations. Please welcome our next graduate, Austin Drenning-Pryder. You always wonder how the teachers when they write these, the students go, what did they write for me? So Austin showed up on the scene with the idea of running the place at some point on his own terms and at his own pace. He was pretty sure that he already had most everything figured out but was willing to listen to us enough to see if we felt the same. Luckily for him, he wasn't that far off and with the support, instruction, and encouragement we provided, Austin filled in all the empty spaces he was hoping to improve. On job site, he was familiar with nearly all the tools he was exposed to and made short work of everything we put before him. He completed his NCCR company certification, helped rehab an apartment unit with Portland Housing, completed a number of shop projects, and was willing to work on whatever was put before him. In the classroom, he was a quick study and achieved two years' growth in both math and language arts. Additionally, Austin completed hours of community service at Wolf's Next Farm, Ronald McDonald House, and the Greater Portland Animal Refuge League, to name a few. We will miss his smile and his sense of humor, but hope that if he's ever in the neighborhood, he won't hesitate to say hello. Good luck, Austin. You have all the skills and ability necessary to take you where you wanna go. Congratulations. Please welcome our next graduate, Josiah Giusti. Right up there for your fans. Those who know Josiah know that he has a deep love and appreciation for music. Any car ride with Josiah usually involved him flipping through the radio stations until he found the Red Hot Chili Peppers, David Bowie, or some other favorite. If he didn't find a good tune, well, the radio was just trash. While at YBA, we uncovered that he is an amazing cook in the kitchen. Oftentimes, Josiah would end up taking over cooking in culinary arts class, and he achieved a certificate of outstanding achievement for his culinary skills. Josiah is also an incredibly intelligent student, which was evident when he was one of the first students to start his high set. We hope that he continues his effort to achieve his high set, and although it appeared that Josiah had given up on YBA, he rallied and was able to complete his graduation requirements. We hope that you continue to rally, Josiah, and wish you the best of luck reaching your goals. Congratulations. Congratulations. Thank you. Please welcome our next graduate, Justin Shipplett. Justin has completed everything that we have thrown at him. He breathed through his NCCI with ease and quickly earned his guest service gold and maintenance certification in hospitality. Justin took on cooking with enthusiasm and received his pro-stop and serve-safe certifications. He ground away at the online OSHA class and now has his OSHA 10 certification. Justin has so far passed four of the five high sets easily with great scores and took his final test this week. He will do very well in any field of study or profession he chooses. Justin has taken great advantage of everything that YBA has to offer. He is almost too easy to have in class and quietly does all his work with excellent results. Unfortunately for Justin, he has a last name that sounds like a type of wall siding that is commonly used on Sonny's favorite TV home remodeling show. Thus she hears Sonny crying out as she did today. Where's Shipplett? Justin takes it all in stride with his calm demeanor while usually lurking in the shadows with his hoodie hiding his face. Hopefully Justin will be starting an internship in September or October. Way to go Justin. Congratulations. And last but not least, please welcome our final graduate, Edelette Chusty. Hi. Stand right up there for your fans. Edelette is a strong, vivacious, energetic, artistic and dedicated student. She blossomed in our program, furthering her education and overcoming personal turmoil. Although she went through her share of ups and downs while at YBA, she still came to school every day with a smile on her face and the motivation to make her life better. During her time at YBA, she developed many close friends as those around her were attracted to her warm and caring personality. She has completed almost every certification we offer at YBA. She attended and helped bring home a trophy from JMG's Career Development Conference and was always one of the first students to volunteer in classes. Outside of her academic achievements, Edelette is also an incredible artist. Most of the YBA staff can attest to this as there are doodles and sketches in almost every nook and cranny of our classroom and offices. Edelette had several opportunities to share her art this year, initially at the first annual regional high school art show at Casco Bay Ottisons where she sold her piece and then again by helping to create the murals on the East End with Dave Conner. In addition to her amazing talents and jovial character, she is also an incredible team player and leader. Edelette has hopes of pursuing a career in the performing arts and will begin this goal by attending SMCC in January. We wish Edelette the very best of luck achieving her goals and hope that she doesn't forget us when she's rich and famous. Congratulations. Almost there. As soon as the graduates return to the auditorium, we're gonna take pictures, so don't lose your stuff. And we'd love to take pictures with you and the family members. And we have a little bit of cake and punch, so please join us for that at the end of the ceremony. You guys fixed it. All right, so our final, I will read this before I ask you to stand up. The final piece of any graduation is the turning of the tassels. It symbolizes transition, the movement from one phase of a person's life to another. With all the hard work and tremendous accomplishments that these students have attained, I believe that they will transition into the next phase of their lives with the skills necessary to achieve even greater things. I have great respect for each of their determination, each one of them, and their determination, their passion, their hard work. So graduates, please stand. Samantha, we're gonna turn the music back on in a minute. And together, I would like you to take your tassel and turn it from the right to the left, signifying passage to the next important stage. Congratulations to the class of 2020.