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 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.
