By Tatiana Batalla and Ivette Nieto, Marketing department of ASC Florida
And yet we celebrated! We celebrated the end of the school year, the laughs, the hard work, the study, the accomplishments and the moments of joy. We set up a special event for a special day. We decorated the room with bright balloons and night lights, we helped the graduates with their speeches, we dressed them up with their caps and gowns. And there were 6, 5 young men and a women on their way to the stage. Their eyes were tearful , their heads were full of dreams, their walk was strong, they were fearless of what their future would hold. Each one of them from a different place, with a different future. But there was one thing in common; what they all shared was their willingness to be their best version of themselves, their willingness to choose their own future and their willingness to fulfill their own dreams, together, they were a family. All of them with unique characters, the key component for their future.
“A lot has happened during this year” the Valedictorian said. And she was right, the story of the speaker has been one of the hardest. She came to Sánchez – Casal Academy because her home town, Puerto Rico, had been destroyed by a hurricane, putting her family’s life in danger because of the lack of water and food. She came here with a dream and a passion. Then, on the year of her graduation, the strongest virus emerged destroying all hope. She kept going, she kept working hard on and off the court, studying for an opportunity to get into a good US University and make her parents be proud of her accomplishments. The day of the graduation she stood up, full of hope. Her brightness dazzled the room. And, through a screen she could see the tears of her parents who forgot about everything for a second and felt the most proud parents on earth. Her speech was inspiring, she thanked all those important pillars of Sánchez- Casal Academy that guided her along the way; Her tutor, her professors, her coaches, the cleaning staff, the kitchen staff, the maintenance staff, the caregivers of the house, her siblings and her friends. At Sanchez-Casal academy she was loved, she felt like home and described each one of us like a family to her.
These 6 young leaders are part of us, they are our identity, they represent and care for our values, Respect, Effort and Discipline. They showed us that we had one more value that represents this academy, leadership. They will always be welcome back, they became our ASC & ESIS alumni family but, our mission is not accomplished yet, we will always continue to help them grow. As another graduate said ” We will meet again in a different story” and he was right, we open our arms for their visit, with us they can take the next step and keep growing. They have the possibility to learn what we do, to continue our legacy by giving opportunities to young men and women that, like them, they want to fulfill their dreams and be part of something great.
Tatiana Batalla and Ivette Nieto
Marketing department of ASC Florida
