On May 3rd, Verb celebrated National Commitment Day with its fifth Commitment Day Ceremony. It was a chance for the seniors to celebrate their four years of work and proudly stand up in front of their teachers, peers, family, and media and declare where they would be going. It was an awesome afternoon. One student began to tear up at the emotions of the moment and was embraced by his classmates. It was a moving moment, and one I was not at all surprised to see. These young THUGS have proved to me over and over how much they are there for one another and have challenged their gender stereotypes many times over.
The ceremony is also a great moment for the underclassmen to see what is in store for them in a few years. Soon, they'll be up on that stage! I wonder which one of them'll be crying (although, it could be a transfer student...)
Verb has boasted 100% college acceptance for its graduates the last few years. Now, not all of them are four year universities but that's still some impressive statistics! Especially for where this school is located. So it was exciting when all the students got up there. There were students accepted all over the country. One student is heading to Georgetown, several to St. John's in Minnesota, one to Seton Hall, two to UCLA, several HBCUs and a number of Cal States, UCs, and community colleges.
One of my favorite moments was finding out one of the students would be going to study at Le Cordon Bleu! This guy is one of the most complex young men I have ever met. He is a former gang member and has a bit of a tough streak to him, but he's also a class clown. And then he was a Kairos Retreat Leader and had some truly beautiful insights and a deeply caring and compassionate soul. There are times I think about him and my heart breaks... to be a former gang member in high school? To have lived such a hard life, to see friends die, and then to be as genuine and encouraging and open with his classmates as a leader on Kairos? Now to see him planning to go to Le Cordon Bleu and do what he wants. To be a chef? That's damn cool. He has been one of the absolute gifts of this year. And although he is currently worrying over whether or not he's going to pass his math class and actually walk in graduation, he's still going to graduate and do what he wants with his life. It might not be the easiest road, but he'll get there. He helped me more than I could express to him on retreat, but his awesome work with our small group and with all of the other students on Kairos, the sharing of his story helped me to realize how special this year was. It helped me to realize what is possible in this kind of work. His honesty opened my eyes to realities I didn't know existed, and he put a human face on it. A human face of perseverance, laughter, and compassion despite hardships.
Back to commitment day:
Like I said, it was a really exciting afternoon. There was a bittersweet tinge to it, though.
Yes, most of the students will be going to college. Some may not. That is a shame.
Many students got accepted to their top choice and cannot afford to go. That...that is what upsets me most. That these guys were able to do all the work they needed to do, they worked hard, did all sorts of extracurriculars, but are still barred from where they really want to go. Not because they didn't work hard enough. Not because they don't deserve it. But because they don't have the money. It's infuriating. This is the system. Most of these guys worked way harder than I ever did to get through high school, and still they are barred from entrance for purely economic reasons. It still makes me mad. It makes me so angry that they have to grow up in the neighborhoods they grow up in. It makes me angry that a lot of the students are affected by violence and drugs and the pressure of the 'hood. It makes me angrier the more I think about it.
Students are trying to make the most of it. They're still going to college. Maybe they'll transfer. Maybe it'll work out and this school that wasn't their first choice will be where they find their calling. Who knows? I didn't expect to be where I am today when I went to Cabrini. Heck, I never even expected to go to Cabrini.
The path that lays before these boys, though it may not be what they might have chosen, is still incredibly bright. Brighter than they may see right now, and still so much more than what so many in these country have waiting for them.
And I am so excited for them and proud of them.
"Dreams save us. Dreams lift us up and transform us. And on my soul I swear… until my dream of a world where dignity, honor and justice becomes the reality we all share… I’ll never stop fighting. Ever.”