GED Graduation
Last night was our annual GED graduation. It is my favorite night of the year and we watched 21 hardworking students walk across the stage. I was the master of ceremonies and had the pleasure of reading their names as they came forward. I am proud to say that I was close on all of them, even the Polish names. Our entire staff did a great job behind the scenes getting everything ready. From left to right: Nina, our assistant dean who helped on stage; Betty our departmental assistant; Hortencia, our administrative assistant; Sue, our departmental assistant in charge of graducation; Kipp, our tutoring coordinator; and Mohammed, our student assistant who is also an expert selfie taker. There were others as well. A great crew on a great night.
Our student speaker was Bertha, who had been out of school for 48 years! Her story was incredible and motivating. I got to spend time with the other graduates who were equally inspiring. It was fun to watch more than 100 family and friends give them the love and support as they achieved this important milestone. Graduation celebrations, particularly those deferred, are very sweet indeed. Afterwards we all went out for barbeque, and Nina, Mohammed, and I had to wait an extra bit for Iftar. It was a fantastic evening, one Mohammed called "his best night since coming to Chicago."
Tremayne was there as well, as a marshal. Meg, Carmela, Jeff, and Carolyn rounded out the team. The whole thing went very smoothly and for a few hours, I was whisked away from my many annoyances and irritations. This inoculation of hope and perseverance will last me a good while :)
Said barbeque - Mohammed talked me into the combo deal. I finished about 1/3 of it. I am pleased to report though, that he polished all of his off.
No comments:
Post a Comment