Over 250 people attended to celebrate our First In Family awardee, Sara Martinez Tucker, former CEO of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund and Under Secretary of Education, our third class of students to graduate from high school and enter college, and our eight years of work to help more students become the first in their families to graduate from college.
Guests who were first in their
families, or part of the first generation in their
families, to graduate from college received a
“1” stamped on their name badges to identify
them to others in the crowd. Reese Isbell, Legislative Aide
to Senator Mark Leno, was one of these guests and gave an
unscripted, emotional account of the impact having been
first in his family to graduate from college has had on his
life as he presented the Founder of First Graduate, Ann-Eve
Hazen, with a Proclamation, as well as each graduating high
school senior.
It was exciting to hear from
the students and know their college choices for the Fall
and see how our community has grown with our many
supporters, volunteers, mentors, parents and over 180
students currently in the program with a new class of 25-30
students added each year.
Emcee, Jan Wahl, kept everyone engaged and entertained
throughout the evening as guests first made their way
through the Rotunda, enjoying the wonderful food provided
by McCalls Catering. MRH Jazz Trio flooded the expansive
Rotunda with their cool jazz standards and originals and
broke into a jazzy rendition of “Pomp and
Circumstance” signaling guests to make their way to
the North Light Court to enjoy the program.
Board President, Colin Lacon,
and Board Member, Jeff Schottenstein, moved the program
swiftly along, which included a Fund-A-Need auction that
brought in over $47,000. All together, the event raised
over $220,000 for our programs!
Sara Martinez Tucker provided a moving testimony on what is
has meant to come from a background with very limited
resources and become the first in her family to graduate
from college. Close to the end of her testimony it was hard
to find a pair of dry eyes in the audience. She reminds us
that young men and women can excel given guidance and
opportunity. As she exemplifies, being the first in the
family to graduate from college does break the cycle of
poverty.
First Graduate sends a special
Thank You to everyone who supported and participated in the
CAP & GOWN Celebration. From our volunteers to our
donors, Thank You for supporting our mission of helping
young people finish high school and become the first in
their families to graduate from college.
Please click here to see photos from
this year's CAP & GOWN.
