LYNN — Catholic Charities North celebrated the graduation of 29 students of its programs at a ceremony at the Lynn Museum on Thursday.
Graduates from its High School Equivalency Test (HiSET) program, CareerWorks, and English for Speakers of Other Languages programs were dressed in caps and gowns and showered with hugs and flowers from their families.
During her opening remarks, Jacqueline Chernoble, the vice president of adult education and workforce development for Catholic Charities North, said she hopes all graduates found a place where they belonged in their programs.
“We strive to create an environment where everyone is seen, respected, and celebrated with their unique talents and perspective, and within that environment, students can grow and achieve their true potential,” she said.
Mayor Jared Nicholson gave a commencement speech to the graduates. While congratulating them, he said the moment made him think about how everyone goes about their daily lives with dreams, which can often just become “thoughts.”
“You all acted on a thought to create a version of your own story that has opened a whole other step of possibilities for yourselves, for your families, for your neighborhoods, and for our community,” he said.
He said the graduates’ aspirations have set the “collective aspirations” high for the city.
One of the graduates, Lesly Aleman, extended a tearful thanks to her teachers while addressing her fellow classmates.
“The opportunity to reach my HiSET potential is something I deeply appreciate,” Aleman said.
Manuel Pagan told his classmates that it took him more than 10 years to earn his HiSET, and acknowledged that many of the graduates had similar struggles.
Pagan said he used to be a “knucklehead” and the “black sheep” of his family.
“But I just worked my butt off and I got here,” Pagan said.
He added that growing up in Roxbury, his mother worked incredibly hard to make sure he had what he needed and for that, he thanked her.
“Today, my head’s held up high because of her,” he said.
