Penn Wood graduates celebrate their education
YEADON » A cool breeze blew over the 370 seniors from Penn Wood High School as they stood for graduation on the grass at Kerr Field on Friday.
“When you look above, the sun is shining on this day- your day - class of 2021,” class sponsor Dr. Kim Evans-Johnson told the seniors.
Evan-Johnson noted that the separation caused by remote learning resulted in many challenges this school year, but also it has given the school community the chance to reflect on life and become innovative while overcoming those challenges.
“I am so proud of how you were able to overcome the obstacles that were placed upon you,” she said, adding that they have prepared students for the unknowns they will face in the future.
“I know sitting on Kerr Field is far from the way we envisioned our graduation, but after a year of uncertainty due to the pandemic, we’re able to be here in person at the end of our high school journey together,” Salutatorian Ernestine Giahyue said in her speech to the graduates. “You are the main character in your life and you control your future. Don’t let life’s obstacles or even your haters stop you from achieving your goals. You all have the potential to be successful in this world. If you were able to complete senior year successfully, I believe you can conquer anything – go out there, don’t stop chasing your dream, and always have Penn Wood pride. Congratulations Penn Wood Class of 2021 - you made it!”
Valedictorian Pearl Miller spoke about the mental health challenges of the pandemic, with students stuck in their homes day after day.
It was particularly challenging for her class as they applied for colleges and jobs after graduation. As the pandemic went on, her mental health declined and while applying for colleges, she became overwhelmed. She applied early decision to Penn, but was pushed into the general application program.
As her dream became clouded, she sank into a depression and then scrambled to apply to other schools. Two months later, she was diagnosed with bi-polar disorder, which she realized she’d had symptoms of since age 14.
Having a diagnosis and medicine to treat the illness was a relief but when Penn finally rejected her, as did a number of other schools, she questioned why others were getting ahead but not her.
“As a person who always thought of herself as an overachiever, my sense of self was crushed,” Miller said. “I compared myself to so many members of my class, wondering what I was missing that they had.”
She then took a step back and realized the things she had accomplished.
“When I was 12, I set a goal to be the valedictorian of my graduating class and six years later, I achieved that. No college admissions committee can take that away from me,” Pearl said. “I have faced the challenge of mental illness head–on and I am winning that battle and no college admissions committee can take that away from me.”
With those words, the audience applauded.
In the end Miller was successful in her quest for high education and will be attending Drexel University in the fall.
“Comparing myself to other students never got me anywhere but lower,” she said. “Letting ourselves fall into the cycle of comparisons is the worst thing we can do for our mental health. Every one of us is their own person with their own gifts to offer this world.”
She said this generation is more conscious of mental health issues and its challenges. She implored her fellow graduates to seek mental health resources, whatever they go on to do in the future.
“We have seen the world crumble around us and we have persisted in our dreams so that we might rebuild it,” she said.
Miller finished with these lines. “Remember you graduated high school in a pandemic. After this, there is nothing you can’t do. Friends and family, I ask you now to join me in a huge round of applause for your seniors, the class of quarantine 2021!”
Latifah K. Fields, president of the Pennsylvania Chapter of National Coalition of 100 Black Women Inc. and Penn Wood Class of ‘97 alumni, was the invited speaker. She told the students to pat themselves on the back for getting to graduation during the pandemic.
“You confirmed no matter what was thrown at you, you can and will succeed. As you prepare for this next level, I want you to remember your senior year and when you start to struggle with something, think back on you accomplished and remember there was a purpose. Know that going forward, you have all you need to succeed.”
She told the seniors not be scared to believe in themselves and walk in their unique purpose.
The first diplomas given out at the graduation went to the mothers of two young men who tragically died in separate auto accidents Cameron Staley who died in March 2021 and Marquan Payne who died in July 2020.