33 Granted Adult Ed Diplomas

Synesha Dudley virtually accepted her high school diploma on Thursday night, stating to a Zoom audience in the midst of the pandemic: ​“I know that my life and future are about to change for the better.”

Dudley was one of 33 members of the Class of 2020 granted certification of high school completion from the Hamden Adult Education Program.

Although the past few months have been marked by mass uncertainty, Dudley described how her own persistent self-doubt made even her early days in the program feel unpredictable.

She confessed to the audience that early in the program she was so overwhelmed by the curriculum that she stopped going to school for an entire month.

Her job as a certified nursing assistant kept her away from home for over 12 hours a day. That convinced her to return to school. She powered through in hopes of a future in which she did not miss so many ​“basketball games, school plays, and story times” with her children.

Now, like many of her classmates, she believes she has a greater likelihood of finding a job that will allow her to spend more time with her kids.

Last year’s ceremony was held in person at Hamden Hall. Thursday’s celebration took place through a Zoom webinar that was occasionally interrupted by technical difficulties.

Hamden Mayor Curt Leng addressed the collective wish that community could ​“be together and celebrating each other: giving hugs, high fives, and elbow bumps.”

He further joked that he would proclaim May 21 ​“Hamden Adult Class of 2020 Rocks Day.”

Jody Goeler, the superintendent of Hamden Public Schools, focused in his remarks on the importance of resilience as an attribute of success, defining the word as ​“getting back up when you take a blow, starting over, figuring out ways to solve problems, and getting to the end line.”

After all who had earned a diploma were acknowledged, scholarships were distributed to seven students based on their ​“application essay, academic achievement, attitude, participation, cooperation, and motivation.”

Deatra Castell was granted the Ellen C. Thompson Scholarship Award. Six other students received awards from the Hamden Adult Education Scholarship Fund.

As is tradition, Mary Mitchell, a poet and former faculty member of Hamden Adult High School, wrote and dedicated a poem to the Class of 2020.

She was not able to attend the ceremony, so school counselor Sharon King read Mitchell’s words out loud.

One line read, ​“The battlefield now becomes everyone’s poem.” She signed off with the following words: ​“We now commit to a future much better than today.”

Program Director LuAnn Gallicchio concluded by thanking all who joined the celebration.

She said with a smile, ​“We know this was unconventional, but it was a learning experience!”