The first official graduating class of Union City High School (UCHS) was introduced to family, friends, and faculty amid deafening cheers on June 23 in the school gymnasium.
The district’s two former high schools, Emerson and Union Hill, were closed last year and students began attending the new Union City High School on Kennedy Blvd. this year.
The UCHS Class of 2010 was comprised of 628 seniors. The former “Bulldogs” and “Hillers” are now all “Soaring Eagles.”
“We got thrown into this building for senior year and we had to make it work,” said valedictorian Justin Perez during his speech on Wednesday night. He spoke about the judgment, racism, and intolerance that occurs both in and out of school.
Perez quoted Mother Theresa as saying, “If you judge people, you have no time to love them,” and added, “everyone has something to love about them.”
“We need to share this message of tolerance and acceptance with the world.” – Justin Perez
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“We need to share this message of tolerance and acceptance with the world,” said Perez, whose mother was also a valedictorian in Union City. She had been taught by now-principal David Wilcomes at Union Hill.
Perez ended his speech by urging his fellow graduates to carry on the lessons learned at their newly combined school to the rest of the world.
“Let’s keep the love, the acceptance, the tolerance,” he said.
Salutatorian Vivienne Meljen read the Invictus poem by William Ernest Henley, whose lines include: It matters not how strait the gate/ How charged with punishments the scroll/ I am the master of my fate/ I am the captain of my soul.
She ended her speech by saying, “now let’s get out of here!”
Judge is guest speaker
Principal David Wilcomes said that the Class of 2010 found many challenges during their four years, but “accepted the challenge” of building a new culture together.
The principal called the new school a “mecca of education” made possible by collaboration between city officials and the Board of Education.
And he announced that among the new traditions that had been started at UCHS, one was having a keynote speaker at the commencement ceremony.
The keynote speaker for the evening was NJ State Associate Supreme Court Justice Roberto A. Rivera-Soto.
“One word sums it up,” said Rivera-Soto as he began his speech. “Wow!”
Rivera-Soto quoted everyone from Dylan Thomas to the author of the Doonesbury comic strip as he made connections between the graduates and himself. The judge, who graduated from a small high school outside of Caguas, Puerto Rico, likened his parents to the parents of many UCHS grads. He marveled at the fact that 97 percent of the high school graduates were members of a “minority” group – and 95 percent of those, Hispanic.
He asked for a moment of “personal pride” and commended the students – “buen hecho” or, well done.
“I bear witness for all of you the value of education and how far perseverance can take you,” said Rivera-Soto. “I see no difference between you and me.”
Ending his speech, Rivera-Soto called on the students to live up to the trust that the people of New Jersey had placed in them. He said the trust included the “cathedral of learning” they were seated in – $180 million dollar, 360,000 square foot building on four and a half acres, paid for by a state program.
Diverse plans for the future
More than 60 percent of the graduates are going on to continue formal study in the fall, heading to a variety of prestigious colleges including Princeton, Columbia, and Johns Hopkins.
Twenty-six individuals will join the United States armed forces.
In total, the class earned approximately $4.1 million in scholarships and financial aid awards.
Lana Rose Diaz can be reached at ldiaz@hudsonreporter.com.