LOWELL — UTEC celebrated the accomplishments of some local learners Friday morning with graduation ceremonies for young adult students in the organization’s High School Equivalency Credential program and preschoolers in its 2Gen program.
De’Andre Lebron, 21, of Haverhill, Kiara “Kiki D-L” Dymond Lewis, 20, of Methuen, and Xavier Castellanos, 17, of Lowell, were each given a diploma through UTEC’s HiSET (High School Equivalency Test) program, in which young adults in the Merrimack Valley can partake if they did not complete high school on time.
“Today’s graduation is a celebration of achievement and potential, from our young adults earning their high school credentials to the youngest learners in our 2Gen program taking their first steps toward a bright future,” UTEC CEO Gregg Croteau said in a statement Friday morning. “At UTEC, we are deeply committed to breaking the cycles of poverty and violence, and education is a powerful tool in that mission. These graduations reflect the transformative impact of education on individuals and their families alike.”
UTEC Academic Educator Rachel Shapiro worked with all three of the HiSET graduates of the day during their time in the program, and spoke during the ceremony about each of them, and what she learned from them. From Lebron, who joined UTEC’s culinary program alongside the HiSET program, Shapiro said she learned the power of clear goals and sticking to them.
“De’Andre arrived in my HiSET classroom knowing exactly what he wanted to get from UTEC,” she said. “He had determined that a high school diploma was necessary to pursue his career goals, and used that knowledge to motivate his progress.”
From D-L, Shapiro said she learned about the power of focus and engagement, something D-L expressed by overcoming her struggles with certain aspects of mathematics when the subject began to click in her head.
“I remember her smiling with this new confidence as she started to actually help others in the room,” said Shapiro. “With focus, and openness to learning, something that had been a source of confusion and frustration just an hour before, then made sense.”
After the ceremony, D-L said she feels “excited and proud of myself. It feels amazing accomplishing my dreams.”
From Castellanos, who recently moved from Texas to Lowell to pursue better opportunities, Shapiro said she learned about the importance of being proactive and avoiding distractions. At 17, Castellanos had to submit paperwork to the Department of Education to take the HiSET exam before turning 18, but Shapiro said he was ready to take the exam as soon as he arrived.
“Instead, from Day 1 in my class, Xavier was asking how and when he could sign up for tests,” said Shapiro. “Once he had been approved to test, he said he wanted to take and pass all of the tests before visiting home at the beginning of September. … I am now thrilled to say Xavier can go visit his beloved Texas and show off his diploma.”
The three graduates can now join UTEC’s Pathways Program, which puts a focus on personal and career development and social-emotional learning.
More than half of UTEC’s young adults are also parents, so UTEC offers an onsite early childhood education center for their children. After the three HiSET graduates received their diplomas, the milestone of seven children in the 2Gen (two-generation) Program completing preschool was celebrated in a similar ceremony.
Youngsters Juleannee Pizzinni, Deisy Rosario, Athena Aries, Madden Bo, Peyton Chounn, Dominic Hardin and Kamilah Velez, all 5 years old, walked out wearing white graduation caps and gowns as they prepared to make the big leap to kindergarten. Some of the preschool graduates had been in the program since they were just a few months old.
“They are not the only ones who have learned throughout the years, we have learned a lot from them,” said UTEC Early Education Director Rula Jaber. “We learned to feel our feelings as adults. We have learned limitless imagination from them. We have learned the joy of the simple pleasures in life. We have learned creativity and curiosity, and we have learned honesty, and forgiveness when we need to forgive.”