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Thank you for joining the virtual Year Up Arizona graduation ceremony!
View the Year Up Arizona Graduation Video Here
Follow along with the Spanish translated script here.
The Year Up Arizona Graduation Ceremony will be a virtual event streamed through Facebook Premiere on the Arizona Facebook page below.
- The event will start promptly at 5:30 PM MT. We encourage you to open the Arizona Facebook page 5-10 minutes early. The video will appear on our main Facebook page and you will not need a direct access link.
- If you follow the Arizona Facebook page, you should receive a notification that we are premiering the event soon.
- You are not required to have a Facebook account to watch the premiere, though you do need to be signed into an account to set a reminder and post comments or reactions.
Follow along with the Spanish translated script here.
Meet our Graduates
View the Graduate Booklet by clicking the icon above.
Thank You to our College Partners
Graduation Program
Graduate Welcome
Jesse Holguin, Year Up Intern at American Express
Year Up Welcome
Kimberly Allen, Site Director – Central City
Keynote Address
Maritza Guzman, Year Up Intern at Bank of America
Award Presentations
Yvonnda Shelton, Site Director – East Valley
Chris Snoddy, Recruitment Manager of Talent Acquisition
Carlos Guerrero, Associate Director of Corporate Engagement
Meghan McGilvra, Director of Recruitment & Admissions
Marco Barragan, Year Up Intern at American Express
Jasmine Cole, Year Up Intern at Bank of America
Certificate Presentations
Corey Lewis, Program Manager
Gabriela Gonzalez, Program Manager
Pedro Huerta, Program Manager
Alumni Oath
Maximiliano Pinon, Year Up Graduate 2021, UX Researcher, American Express
Closing Remarks
Kimberly Allen, Site Director – Central City
Graduate Speakers
Jesse Holguin
Year Up Intern at American Express
Maritza Guzman
Year Up Intern at Bank of America
Welcome Letter
Welcome to the Year Up Arizona Commencement Ceremony!
Today, we celebrate six successful years of closing the Opportunity Divide for hundreds of young adults in Arizona. It is an absolute privilege to witness these talented and motivated young adults graduate from their Year Up journey, ready to launch their careers and achieve their dreams. Their drive, energy, and commitment to reaching their full potential has certainly inspired our Year Up Arizona team.
Year Up Arizona is honored to have been a part of their journey during this unprecedented time. They entered the Learning and Development phase full of hope and expectations, eager to embark on a journey towards their professional careers. Our young adults persevered through personal challenges, as well as the changing environments brought on by the impact of the COVID-19 global pandemic, civil unrest, and economic turmoil.
Our young adults have successfully navigated the complex journey to build the skills necessary to launch their careers as they trusted the vision of Year Up and our founder, Gerald Chertavian. They have leveraged their learning and demonstrated adaptability in their internships, which, for many, existed in a virtual and work-from-home environment. Their grit, energy and willingness to reach their potential have shaped the culture and defined the expectations for future cohorts at Year Up Arizona.
Congratulations, Class of Winter 2022. You have achieved a major milestone; one of many more that will surely come in your life.
This journey is possible because of the encouragement and unwavering support of family and friends in helping these young adults reach their personal and professional goals. Additionally, we thank our corporate partners, funders, community partners, volunteers, who have come to believe in this program and our mission to close the Opportunity Divide. As a community we are committed to helping the more than 145,000 young adults in Arizona who deserve the chance to realize their fullest potential in education and careers and we appreciate your ongoing support of Year Up Arizona.
On behalf of all of us at Year Up Arizona, congratulations to our graduates!
Sincerely,
Kimberly Allen Yvonnda Shelton
Site Director Site Director
Kimberly Allen
Site Director, Central City Campus
Yvonnda Shelton
Site Director, East Valley Campus
Alumni Oath
I PLEDGE that as a member of the Year Up National Alumni Association, I will continue to uphold and promote Year Up’s mission and core values. I will strive for excellence and realize my potential. I will use my time and talents to contribute to the success of Year Up, its students, and its alumni. I will take action in the movement to close the Opportunity Divide. I take this oath freely, as a promise to lift while I climb, and to be a lifelong ambassador of Year Up.
Thank You to our Local Sponsor
National Graduation Sponsors
Thank you to our National Community Partners
Copyright © 2021 Year Up, Inc.