THANK YOU!
Thank you for attending Year Up Greater Boston’s virtual graduation ceremony!
We hope you enjoyed celebrating this milestone moment with the graduates who made up our Class of Summer 2021 and their families! As we saw, our graduates delivered on Year Up’s mission to close the Opportunity Divide—the gap that exists between many young adults in our community and the economic mainstream.
Missed the event or want to re-watch it?
You can click here to view the recorded livestream at the Year Up Greater Boston Facebook page.
The Year Up Greater Boston Graduation Ceremony will be a virtual event streamed through Facebook Premiere on the Greater Boston Facebook page below.
Year Up Greater Boston Facebook
- The event will start promptly at 5:30 PM ET. We encourage you to open the Greater Boston 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 Greater Boston Facebook page, you will 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.
Graduation Program
Graduate Host Welcome
Savannah Clinton,
Year Up Intern at Harvard University
Site Directors’ Welcome
Tyra Anderson-Montina,
Site Director, Downtown Boston
Charisse Alouidor,
Interim Site Director,
Roxbury Community College
Graduate Keynote Address
Puya Moghadam,
Year Up Intern at Facebook
Presentation of Awards
Charisse Alouidor,
Interim Site Director,
Roxbury Community College
Tyra Anderson-Montina,
Site Director, Downtown
Savannah Clinton,
Year Up Intern at Harvard University
Keynote Address
Michelle Wu,
Boston City Councilor At-Large and
Candidate for Mayor
Presentation of Certificates
Emily Henesey,
Director of Program, Year Up Greater Boston
Keylin Haye
Program Manager, Learning Community Achieve
Jasmine Walthall-Drakes,
Program Manager, Learning Community Aspire
Marissa Edwards,
Program Manager, Learning Community Believe
Christian Ver,
Program Manager, Learning Community Engage
Alumni Oath
Shaleah Gilmer,
Year Up Graduate 2016
Ronda Thompson,
Chief Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging Officer & Founding National Director of Alumni Relations
Closing Remarks
Savannah Clinton,
Year Up Intern at Harvard University
Featured Speakers
Savannah Clinton
Year Up Intern at Harvard University
Michelle Wu
Boston City Councilor At-Large and Candidate for Mayor
Puya Moghadam
Year Up Intern at
Facebook
Letter from Site Directors
Welcome to the Year Up Greater Boston Commencement Ceremony!
Graduates, today we celebrate your massive accomplishment during a remarkable year. When you joined Year Up we were in the midst of a pandemic with no end in sight. Yet, YOU decided now was your time to invest in yourself. Despite the many obstacles that were thrown your way we are thrilled to be here today witnessing you, talented and motivated young adults, ready to graduate and launch plans to achieve your dreams. You’re joining a valuable network of Year Up alumni in Greater Boston and across the country. You have been exceptional ambassadors for the Year Up community during these unprecedented times and we could not be prouder.
Everyone at Year Up Greater Boston is thankful to have been a part of your journey. Your determination and resilience have certainly inspired each of us here tonight. All 110 of you started this experience full of hope and expectations, eager to embark on a yearlong journey towards professional careers. You have faced adversity and persevered through the changing virtual environments and impact of the COVID-19 global pandemic, civil unrest, a nail-biting election, and economic turmoil. We know that your journey towards a career and higher education doesn’t stop here, but let’s take a moment to pause because today is a symbol of your dedication that should be celebrated!
You have learned and strengthened so many skills from this past year and now it’s time to apply your ability to work hard, be adaptable, network, work on a team and many others as you reach your career and educational aspirations. We encourage you to continue using these skills to give back and strengthen your community. Be reflective of this journey and be empowered to share your story with a friend that could use a ‘Year Up’ in their life and volunteer to do the same with future students. Always remember your story matters, your voice matters, and you matter. This moment in time may mark a turning point as we see hope for lessening the impacts of the pandemic, optimism about the political landscape, and momentum in the Black Lives Matter movement. As many of you have, continue to be bold and audacious as you fight for what makes you optimistic about this world.
LC Engage, LC Believe, LC Aspire and LC Achieve, your unique path ahead is unchartered, yet we are confident you have the grit and skills to charge forward. There are countless corporate partners, funders, community partners, volunteers, staff members, friends and family who believe in this program, and believe in you. You have an entire network of people cheering you on and will continue to do so as a community. Graduates, to quote Maya Angelou, “I encourage you to live with life. Be courageous, adventurous. Give us a tomorrow, more than we deserve.”
On behalf of Year Up Greater Boston, congratulations to our persistent Class of Summer 2021!
Yours in service,
Tyra Anderson-Montina
Site Director
Downtown Boston
Charisse Alouidor
Interim Site Director Roxbury Community College
Award Winners
Cornerstone Award
Laurie Stickels
Harvard University
Empowerment Award
Boston Public Schools
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 Elite Sponsors
Thank You to our Premier Sponsors
Thank You to our Supporting Sponsors
Thank You to our Contributing Sponsors
Eliassen Group
UBS
Thank You to our National Sponsors
Thank you to our National Community Partners
Copyright © 2021 Year Up, Inc.