“Greatness Is Within” 190 Hillhouse Grads

When Jocelyn Juarez entered Hillhouse High School as a freshman, she struggled with a disability that inhibited her ability to walk. She often relied on her mother for support. 

But on Thursday, at Hillhouse’s graduation ceremony at Bowen Field, Juarez confidently strode across the stage to receive her diploma. Her mother watched from the stands with tears in her eyes.

Kimberly, her sister, noted that Jocelyn has become more independent now. ​“She definitely wants to help other people, even though it’s difficult for her because of her disability. We are proud of her.”

Juarez, who is off to Gateway Community College next year to pursue a career in the medical field, is just glad that she got her assignments in on time.

“The proudest moment for me was handing in my last assignments,” she said. ​“Finally.”

With Juarez, 190 other students make up Hillhouse High School’s class of 2024. Included in the lineup was Paul Panagrosso, a World War II veteran from New Haven who never walked across the stage when he officially graduated in 1944. While Panagrosso was serving in the military, his mother picked up his diploma. Now, 80 years later, Panagrosso finally had a graduation ceremony. 

Students came in decorated graduation caps, bedazzled with colorful rhinestones and creative designs. 

One student’s cap donned a Hello Kitty face. 

Another student’s cap read: ​“I did it!” 

Still another student’s cap was covered with lined notebook paper and had the following message scrawled in granite pencil: ​“Like everything else I did in high school, I did this last minute.”

These students entered high school remotely, during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. Students, families, and teachers alike all talked of the struggles with remote learning, especially in not socializing in-person with friends and teachers. Additionally, students mentioned the difficulty of changing administration, with three different principals taking the helm within the four years the class of 2024 attended Hillhouse.

However, Thursday’s celebration did not dwell on the difficulties of the past, and instead, emphasized the future — and the Hillhouse graduates’ futures are bright, with the class of 2024 winning some $2.9 million in scholarships. Hillhouse principal Dr. Antoine Billy highlighted the community and family efforts that helped each student graduate. Then, Billy urged each student to follow their passions. For many students, the passions they found in their time at Hillhouse have informed their future aspirations.

Destiny Cooper, while juggling an intensive course load and the responsibilities of being the captain of the basketball team, found a passion in community service, specifically in working with people in New Haven experiencing homelessness. Cooper intends to attend Fayetteville State University, a HBCU with an emphasis on community service.

“She actually found a love for community service,” Sierra Murphy, Cooper’s mother, said. ​“She has a heart for people.”

For John Massaquoi, playing the drums for the marching band took his heart. His mother Melissa noted that her son practices every day, even before putting his robe on for graduation. John is now off to University of New Haven to study communications and media studies, but doesn’t intend to stop drumming there.

“He never gives up,” Melissa Massaquoi said. ​“He’s always willing to try.”

Nasir Anderson is on his way to Virginia State University, where he will study marketing. Anderson was a JROTC student for four years, ultimately becoming promoted to staff sergeant. His mother Lakisha, his cousins Khyanni and Jamarha, his aunt Eileen, and his uncle Kyrie all came out to celebrate his graduation. ​“He saw me graduate 17 years ago,” Kyrie said. 

Before he gets to Virginia State, Anderson is headed to celebrate his graduation with his great-grandmother: ​“She’s been my greatest inspiration my whole life,” Anderson said.

“I feel like Hillhouse has really opened up my eyes and heart to a bunch of different experiences, language, and arts that I wouldn’t have experienced before,” salutatorian Mila Volpe said. ​“I have a lot of House pride.”

Volpe is still recovering from finishing her AP Government class, as it was a ​“really tough” class. But she’s looking ahead to Yale University next year, where she hopes to study some major in the humanities.

“This was a special group,” Joseph Daley, an English sheltered content instructor, said. ​“Getting to know them as well as I did over the past four years, especially their determination, I’m extremely proud.”

Art teacher Reggie Augustine said his fondest memories from the last year were ​“mostly conversations with students.” His favorite conversations weren’t the academic ones, but the ones about students’ future plans and pop culture interests. Augustine, who’s been teaching at Hillhouse for five years and in New Haven schools for 30 years, noted how happy it made him ​“watching [the students] grow and evolve as young artists — even the ones who said they couldn’t draw.”

The ceremony began with opening remarks from Superintendent Dr. Madeline Negrón and Mayor Justin Elicker, followed by speeches from Volpe and valedictorian Kate Kim. Board of Education member Andrea Downer, Hillhouse class of 1989, returned as a guest speaker and reminded the audience of the music she used to dance to in high school, playing Whitney Houston’s ​“Greatest Love of All.” (“I believe that the children are our future…”)

And the ceremony ended with one last question from Billy: ​“Do you want to be good? Or do you want to be great?”

“Great!” the students shouted back.

“Greatness takes hard work and dedication,” Billy said. ​“Greatness is within you.”

Arthur Delot-Vilain contributed to this report.