137 Adult Ed Grads Celebrated For Pandemic ​“Resilience”

A year and a half of resilience and dedication was celebrated Thursday as New Haven Adult and Continuing Education Center graduates walked across the stage and received their diplomas.

One hundred and thirty seven ​“pandemic grads” walked the stage that many couldn’t walk their first time around. The celebration was for the joint Class of 2020 and 2021, because the Covid-19 pandemic led to canceling last year’s ceremony.

The graduates received their high school diplomas and GEDs Thursday morning after having to set their studies aside —in some cases for a decade a more— and then picking them back up.

Yndia McFadden-Ward, 34, got her diploma after leaving high school 17 years ago due to challenges with being a young mother and getting to high school while pregnant with her second child. McFadden-Ward did this with a schedule of eight classes this past year, working two jobs, and raising seven kids.

“Giving up was not an option ‚” she said as a student speaker at Wednesday’s ceremony. She also sang the national anthem at the start of the ceremony.

McFadden-Ward enrolled last September after realizing that her career goals to be a paralegal and in real estate required a diploma. She also strived to show her kids that anything is possible when you work hard and stay determined.

McFadden-Ward thanked the center’s teachers and support specialist for their help throughout her journey. McFadden-Ward encouraged students still on their journey for their diploma to never give up. ​“No matter what it is, what choices you make in life, if you have the opportunity to go back and fix it, do it,” she said.

Next, McFadden-Ward will enroll at Gateway Community College in the fall.

Family/Community Resources Coordinator Veronica Douglas‑Givan sat in the back of the celebration babysitting her student’s son during the ceremony. Douglas‑Givan said the student was going to miss the graduation because they could not find a babysitter, so Douglas‑Givan volunteered to help so the student could attend.

Douglas‑Givan announced three student recipients of a $500 stipend to continue their education for students who ​“overcame what seemed like the impossible.”

The youngest Class of 2020 and 2021 graduate was 17 years old; the oldest was 65 years old. The center partnered with Amazon to give each of the graduates a complimentary Amazon bag filled with gifts, one of which was an Amazon application with a promise of a recruitment bonus.

Mayor Justin Elicker told the students about former U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona, who dropped out of high school at 16 and earned his GED while enlisted in the Army. He reminded the graduates that they can accomplish so much after completing their programs during one of most challenging years for education.

Elicker recited the Chinese expression ​“狗急跳墙 . It means ​“a dog can jump fences when cornered.” The expression speaks to the graduates’ resilience when faced with an emergency.

“When you feel that pressure, you are more capable than ever of accomplishing something great,” Elicker said.

Social justice advocate and commencement speaker Kica Matos gave the graduates two pieces of advice: to get involved in their community and to continue their education.

She reminded the class that they are the ​“embodiment of resilience.”

​“The easiest thing to do during the pandemic was to set your studies aside,” she said. ​“Instead of abandoning your studies you showed us what resilience looked like.”

Watch the full ceremony below.