More than 1,000 people crowded into the William L. Dickinson High School Auditorium on June 19 to watch 458 students graduate, one of six commencement ceremonies held around the city that day.
Anuroop Alberts was this year’s class valedictorian in Dickinson, and Foram Shah was the salutatorian.
“It is said that the dreamer is the one who will change the future,” said schools superintendent Dr. Marcia Lyles. “You are going to make a difference in the world.”
“When I first came here, I didn’t know what to expect from the world I was to enter,” Shah said in her salutatorian address “But after coming here, I changed completely. I still have freedom, but I also have experienced things I never experienced before. My life up until that point was extremely easy.”
In high school, she had to meet new people and deal with new places, and hardest of all, she had to learn a new language.
“I lacked the confidence in myself,” she said, but noted that with the support of family, and her own perseverance, she was able to grow into the person she became.
“We share a common history here. We have memories together. But after graduation, we will step into the real world.” – Foram Shah
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She said recalled how intimidating the seniors were when she first came only to become an intimidating senior today.
“High school is not an easy place to be,” she said, referring not only to academics but other obstacles. But she said these have been overcome with the help of friends, and has seen others who experienced the same things, teaching her that nothing is impossible. She credited a number of people who helped her make her journey.
“We share a common history here,” she said. “We have memories together. But after graduation, we will step into the real world.”
Alberts offers advice to his fellow graduates
Alberts thanked his family, his friends, his teachers, and his dog.
“I would point out my dog to you, but security wouldn’t let him inside the building,” he joked.
But he got serious when he thanked his teachers and family for their support. He said he had a lot of opportunities and participated in a number of things, such as the track team and poetry readings.
“While those represent some of my own experiences in high school, many of you might have gone through different ones,” he said, mentioning some of the other events that had taken place such as the Bold Be Yourself program, or swimming team, or taking pictures as a gnome, or tutoring with the math club.
“Maybe that last one wasn’t as popular,” he said, when it drew less of a response from the other graduates as the previous events had.
“While we may have done different things in high school, there is so much that we as a whole have experienced together. We all went through Hurricane Sandy. We went through the transition of three different principals. We were the first class in a very long time to have pep rallies and even a junior prom. We have experienced so much together and at the same time we have experienced so much on our own. Through it all, we have each become distinct individuals, who make marks in the school and the world, and will continue to make marks even after leaving through those twin doors with our diplomas in hand.”
Mayor Steven Fulop, who made appearances as several high school graduating ceremonies, congratulated the Dickinson graduates.
“We couldn’t be more proud of your accomplishments today,” he said. “Today starts a new chapter in your life, and we have big expectations for each and every one of you. You play a big part in the Jersey City community.”
McNair graduates were a class of contradictions
In an emotion-filled ceremony, McNair Academic High School graduated 176 students. Varun Sharmar was the class valedictorian and Benjamin Mazel was the salutatorian.
Mazel attended Hudson School grammar school before coming to McNair. He will attend Columbia University and will major in physics.
“Most of you know, I’m not the most vocal person,” he said in his address to the graduating class. “The honor of salutatorian is nice, but I’m not a fan of speeches. Four years at McNair has made me much more open.”
He said he is trying to describe a class that doesn’t lend itself easily to description.
“We are a class of contradictions. We’ve had good moments and bad moments, scandals and successes, high highs and low lows,” he said. “Searching for memories that define this class, I’m taken back to the first time in this gym four years ago.”
Many were scared when they came, and they were confronted by expectations of excellence, they had to spend the next four years living up to.
“We acclimated to the daily routines of school work and began to find our place in this community,” he said, but noted it took about a year for them to call McNair home, and a year after that began to appreciate McNair’s diversity.
“Education became interesting and even attractive,” he said. “We realized that being smart was something worth working for.”
Where are we, and where are we going?
Varun Sharmar, the class valedictorian, attended United Nations International grammar school in Jersey City before coming to McNair. He will be attending the University of Virginia in the fall, majoring in finance and foreign affairs.
“Where are we?” he asked. “We are in a city still recovering from a recession, in a country plagued by racism and racial tensions in a world with rapidly changing technology. This is the world we will face once we walk out those doors. But it is also the world McNair has prepared us for.”
He said they were there that day to say good bye to what has been their home for four years.
“McNair is a place where we forged new friendships that we will keep for years to come,” he said. “After graduation, we won’t remember every emotional moment, every joke, every lesson, but we will, however, remember the most important lessons and bring our bank of experiences with us wherever we go.”
“A McNair education has taught us to appreciate diversity in all senses of the word.
It has strengthened our friendships by exposing us to rich cultures…and turned us into more informed global citizens,” he said. “McNair has taught us the roots of the tree of knowledge are convoluted and intricately entwined, but can be uncovered if you dig from all sides.”
In the fall, he said, students from McNair will attend some of the most prestigious universities in the nation and they will become eventually the next doctors, lawyers, artists, engineers, writers, and business people.
“We will tackle some of the issues the world faces today and will continue to face in the future, from prejudice and intolerance to managing the increasing cost of healthcare,” he predicted.
Other Jersey City high schools also have ceremonies
The other Jersey City high schools also held commencement ceremonies across the city on June 19.
Ferris High School graduated slightly more than 300 students this year with Cynthia Zhagui as the class valedictorian and Stacy Tobon the salutatorian.
Infinity High School’s nearly 40 graduates received their diplomas at St. Peter’s University. Class valedictorian was Ashvi Patel. Varun Bhandari was the salutatorian.
Liberty High school graduated 48 students at Franklin L. Williams Middle School. Kimberly Seecharan was the class valedictorian and Diko Gidado was the salutatorian.
Nilton Ortiz was valedictorian and Justice Baskin, the salutatorian, of Lincoln High School. Snyder High School graduated just under150 students. Noah Woodard was the class valedictorian and Nina-Simone Beaver was the salutatorian.
Al Sullivan may be reached at asullivan@hudsonreporter.com.