Eleanor Polak photo
Kevin Barranco Carvente: “Most proud of the fact that I made it.”
When Kevin Barranco Carvente entered his freshman year at Hill Regional Career High School during the height of the pandemic, he had to take his classes from home, behind a screen. When in-person learning returned, he was met with masks, table dividers, and empty seats.
But on Thursday, after years of perseverance and improving conditions, Barranco Carvente graduated alongside 134 of his Career classmates — in person.
“It was hard to stay on task, and to stay awake,” he said during Career’s graduation ceremony Thursday afternoon at the Floyd Little Athletic Center on Sherman Parkway, thinking back to those days of remote and hybrid learning. He struggled to take in information, saying that “we weren’t really learning anything.”
Now, Barranco Carvente said, “I’m most proud of the fact that I made it.”
“I haven’t always been the best student, so graduating in general is a big deal for me.” He’s proud of the fact that he made his immigrant parents, who never got to finish high school, proud with his own success.
Barranco Carvente wasn’t the only student to struggle with Covid-era learning. Rohan Nabiz recalled that coming back from Covid was challenging, as he and his classmates had to learn to navigate a new process of attending high school. Fortunately, “Many great teachers supported and helped us out when we were adjusting,” he said.
Nabiz intends to study Behavioral Neuroscience at Quinnipiac University. “I’m most proud of graduating and getting to pursue the major of my dreams,” he said. “I’m excited for the future.”
Altonio Reed with his mother, Lachett Brown: It helps "having good people around to help."
Altonio Reed said that high school only really started to feel like high school after his freshman year, which was the first year of the pandemic. For him, the best part of school was his friends and “having good people around to help,” neither of which were truly possible when he was stuck learning through a laptop. But he worked through it, and got to come back and finish his high school years surrounded by the people who made learning not only possible, but fun.
“It’s a privilege for me to see my son graduate while I’m still alive,” said Reed’s mother Lachett Brown, who is living with cancer.
The theme for the afternoon was perseverance and working through challenges, both of which the Career students, having entered high school in the midst of Covid, had practiced extensively. Salutatorian Eliana Brito-Castillo reminded the class that every challenging moment had its upsides and its lessons learned.
“I know a lot of us really did struggle, but we did stick with it,” said Brito-Castillo. “Remember the good, because there was so much of it.”
“It’s important to appreciate this moment greatly, because it is the culmination of thirteen years of tears, stress, and hard work,” added Valedictorian Elaine F. Osei Bonsu. She urged her classmates to hold onto the memories of the struggles they had endured, “because it is the voice and urge deep within that will lead you to reach your full potential.”
Guest Speaker Carla D. Tillery.
Guest speaker Carla D. Tillery, a certified life coach, motivational speaker, professor, co-founder of the non-profit organization Proverbs, Inc., and president and part-owner of Fitzgerald and Halliday, Inc., urged the class to remember their “it factor.”
The “it factor” is the ability to recognize your strengths and use them. Tillery reminded the graduates of all the strengths they acquired during their years at Career High School: The “adaptability and flexibility” they had shown during the pandemic, the ability to “connect and build relationships,” the “art of preparation” learned at school and the ability to evolve with technology that came in handy during online learning.
“You got it, now take it with you!” she told them.
Career graduates toss their caps into the air.
As 134 ornamented purple caps hit the air, students rushed to embrace their friends and families and celebrate the closing of the high school chapter of their lives, and the beginning of a whole new story. They had not only survived the rocky start to their high school years; they had thrived and come through stronger than ever.
“This is an amazing group of young adults, who persevered through many obstacles like Covid and our ever-changing society,” said Principal Shawn True. “It was a pleasure to have them as a part of our school community in the past few years, and they will always be a part of the Panther community.”