001[Music] Thank you. [Music] Good evening. Please remain standing for the pledge of allegiance. I pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. May be seated. I do believe that we're here for a celebration. Would y'all agree? So, let's give it up for our class of 2025. [Music] [Applause] I do believe we can do just a little bit better. Let's give it up for class. [Applause] [Music] It is with great joy and pride that I welcome you to this momentous occasion, the graduation ceremony for the Rise Academy and Adult Education Program class of 2025. I have the honor of recognizing the school board members who are present this evening. If you would stand
002to be recognized when your name is called. Vice Chair Kesha Avery. Casey Cunningham, Mr. Terrell Payne, Dr. Keith Silverman in his absence, Miss Kesha Walker, and Dr. Corey Williams in his absence. I would also like to recognize our superintendent, Dr. Angela Haristen. and any cabinet staff, any DPS employees, if you would just stand to be recognized at this time. Thank you to our graduates. You are the reason we're here. Each of you represent untapped potential, untold stories of greatness, and unshakable determination. And while the world may sometimes try to define you by zip codes, by test scores, or even by circumstances, I urge you today, refuse to become just another statistic. To the road ahead will not be easy. You may face challenges that seem too heavy to carry, setbacks that threaten to steal your
003joy, and moments where giving up feels like the only option. But I'm here to remind you, you are stronger than your struggles and you are more powerful than your fears. Success is not where you start. It's about refusing to stop. When the doors feel closed, knock louder. When the path seems blocked, build a new one. And when doubt creeps in, lean on the people who believe in you the most. Because behind every student who makes it, there's a village that lifts them. Today I want to honor and thank the families. The families. The families. Let's give them a round of applause. The guardians, the friends, the mentors, the support system who showed up day in and day out. Your encouragement, your sacrifices, your love. It matters more than words can say. And to our educators,
004our educators, let's give them a round of applause. [Applause] staff and administrators. Thank you. You are the backbone of this district. You don't just teach curriculum. You ignite minds. You shape futures. And you inspire the next generation to rise. As we prepare to leave this chapter behind and step boldly into the next, I want to close with a reflection that speaks to the journey many of us in this room have walked. While writing the welcome address, I found myself listening to a song by a gifted songwriter some may know as Luther Barnes. The lyrics echoed in my spirit, and I believe this this speaks for many of us today. And those words were, "They said I wouldn't make it. They said I wouldn't be here today. They said I would never amount to anything, students,
005graduates. But I'm glad to say that I'm on my way." and I'm moving more and more each day. In closing, those words remind us that no matter the obstacles, doubts, or challenges we face, we made it. And not just to the finish line, but to a new beginning filled with purpose, growth, and promise. Let these lyrics be our anthem as we continue to rise day by day. Congratulations to the class of 2025. Let's give him another round of applause. [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Look excited. I won't be before you long. Uh thank you all so much for this wonderful opportunity to congratulate our students. I see Dr. Philip Campbell back there. Dr. Campbell, will you stand and be [Applause] recognized? He tried to slip in on us there. Congratulations to our graduates. Congratulations. What an incredible
006opportunity to be honored here this evening. You did it. You did it. And it wasn't just by chance. You worked for it. You worked for it. You've grown through your challenges. You have risen above obstacles and many of you had many obstacles and you have shaped your own success. You have and I'm very very proud of you. You created yourself with strength, courage, and persistence. And moving forward, I want you to keep the lessons that you've learned. We always want to keep those at hand so that we can be better in our future. You will certainly need them because hard times will always be around the corner. But in moments like this, we want to acknowledge your wisdom, your resilience, and your selfbelief to get here today. This is certainly not an ending. This is
007certainly, I would say, your new beginning. Best wishes to you on your journey ahead. You have proven not only just graduating makes a difference, you have evolved and the world will be a better place for it. And I wish each and every one of you well as you transition to your next chapter in life. Congratulations. Congratulations. And congratulations. Good evening. I stand before you to introduce our guest speaker on tonight. Shakiba Fraser is a proud native of Danville, Virginia and a devoted member of Bible Way Cathedral. She earned an associate degree in liberal arts from Danville Community College in 2015 and a bachelor of science in sociology from a university in 2020. Shaka's career reflects a strong dedication to youth development and community engagement. She has served as an as assistant director of the Danville
008churchbased tutorial program for eight years, community liaison for the city of Danville's project imagine for two years and youth coordinator for the Danville redevelopment and housing authority for eight years. She now serves as the executive director of Third Chance, a nonprofit organization that works to prevent homelessness and connect individuals with vital resources. Her commitment to service extends to organizing and supporting community events such as the annual Thanksgiving uh community feast. She also contributes her time and leadership to various organizations and boards. These include the Center for Early Success, Boys and Girls Clubs of Danville area, the Wednesday Club, the Transitions Pregnancy Clinic, the Alliance for Excellence, the Danville Police Department Use of Force Review Committee, and Danville, Pennsylvania County Services. She is also a former chair of the Community Improvement Council. As the presidentelect of
009the Danville Riverview Rotary Club, Shakiva continues to build strong community relationships and promote meaningful change. In 2023, she received the AIT University recent distinguished alumni award and was recognized by the True North River District Association as one of the most influential women in the Dan River region for her economic impact and professional and humanitarian contributions. She also received the national spirit award at a conference in Chicago, Illinois for her outreach work with youth and project imagine. In 2025, she was honored by Del Delta Sigma Theta sorority for her political awareness and advocacy for the restoration of rights. Although deeply involved in community work, Shaka considers her most cherished role to be that of a mother. She credits her success to God, her five children, and her one grandson, recognizing that their love and support have
010been the foundation of her journey. I would like to present to some and introduce to others our speaker for the evening, Shaka Fraser. [Applause] y'all. Good evening. Good evening. I'm glad to be here today. I'm not at church, so I'm not gonna say first giving thanks to God, but I just said it. And um to the parents, to the guardians, to the board, the staff, and to you young people. I really wish it were in front of me because I came prepared to talk to you all and you all are behind me. But that's okay. What I want to tell you today is to appreciate where you are to celebrate you. It's a um a song and Taquin came up here, chairman Taquin Graves and he had a a a spiritual song. I feel so
011unholy because I have another song that I'm going to quote. Please forgive me. It's by Robert Ramik Williams and he said, "I used to pray for times like this to rhyme like this. So I had to grind like this to shine like this and that is what you young people have done. You all have grinded to get where you are. I want to let you all know that today is monumentous in your life. Not just because you're graduating but because you are one of the largest graduating class in US history. It is said, research has shown that 2025 is the largest graduating class in United States history. So, you all are making history today. If there are things that could be changed, I know that some of you maybe didn't want to be here. You
012maybe wanted to walk a different way with another class at another school, but this is where you are today. They read that awesome bio about me and I really appreciate it. What I did not include in the bio that I was to a student of opportunity school. Opportunity school was what you all will call now rise. I was with the first class that went to opportunity school in 1994 as a eighth grader because I had been kicked out of the school I was at Langston. They also did not mention that I am I am a GED recipient. I received my GED at the age of 17. So, I want to let you know to never be ashamed of what you're sitting up here for today. You worked hard for what you have. And as you
013can hear, that did not stop me. So, do not let that stop you. Allow no one to dumb down your accomplishments. Now, when I knew I was going to be here, I called my mentor, my pastor, Dr. Philip Wayne Campbell, former school board member, to give me just a few pieces of advice to leave with you all. Told me to go and look at your mission statement. And so I did. And a few words that was in the mission statement, one of them was challenges. And so as we go forward from today, because that's what it's about. We're here to celebrate, but we're ready to move forward to what's next. In life, there are challenges for every single person that you see in here. We all have endured and we all have a story and
014we all have been through something. We cannot say whose story is worse than whose. All we know is that we made it here today by grit, grind, and perseverance. So, in life, there are challenges for everyone. It is how we deal with those challenges that will shape who we are. If you regret because you're sitting here today and you didn't get to walk with the class you wanted to walk with, you cannot go back and change that. What you can do is tell someone else how to make better choices. What you can do is be a catalyst of change for those that's coming behind you. That's what a true leader does. We do not soak in things that we have been through that we regret. My pastor often say it's only regret when we don't
015learn from it. Teach someone else where you may have felt that you didn't make the mark at next. There are no excuses. Do not play yourself down. Where you are is where you are. Whatever got you here today, it got you here today. But we're here to celebrate you. Do not play yourself down. You will hear someone that has a high school diploma. You will hear someone who who has some other kind of degrees. Do not play your GED down. Do not play you coming from Rise Academy down. You had to work just as hard, if not harder, for where you are today. Do not allow people voices to get in your ear and make you feel insignificant. You celebrate you. You fight for you. When they were clapping, I know that some of you
016want to put your head down. No shame in where you are today. Do you all understand me? Huh? Good. All right. Learning. Life will always be a learning process. There does come a time when we think that we know it all. that no one can tell us anything, especially when we're young. But please, young people and older, always have your ear open to learn, to grab a mentor, to know that you do not know it all, to know that there are people that's in this room, people who have been before you, people who are going to come after you, who can teach you something about life to help you get to your next resource. Do not be ashamed to tap into those things that the community has. Me coming from my background, I can say
017that Danville has a lot to offer for you all if you really want it. Do not be afraid. You are worth tapping into those resources. That community of people that's in here today higher levels, don't stop right here. My pastor often preaches. It's not a period where you are right now. It's only a comma. Today marks the day of you all being a part of the largest graduating class in history. What does tomorrow hold? Who's going to go out and apply for something? Who's going to tell someone about some of the things they've learned along the way? Who's going to stand up and be their voice for that next generation? Begin to think about your next higher. Do not stop right here. And I thought about Rise Academy. Rise above whatever may come your way.
018No one says it's going to be easy, but you being here today shows me that you did not quit. You did not allow your circumstances to keep you stuck. So, once again, congratulations to you all being one of the largest graduating class in US history. I'm going to turn around and I'm going to celebrate you. God bless you. Celebrate y'all. I had some money. I th it on. You understand? We thank Miss Fraser for those words to our graduates. Um, we do have a token of appreciation for you, Mrs. Fraser. I just want to say um, thank you for your words of encouragement encouragement. Here's a token of our appreciation for your kind words to our graduate. Thank you so much. At this time, please welcome to the podium, Miss Taffany Deer, assistant principal of
019Rise Academy. Good evening. Will the graduates for gra will the candidates for graduation please stand? Tia Barley. Payton Bro, Kaia Farmer Sayia Felton, Tavon Graves, Maris Harkham, Lisiah Howton, Jir [Applause] [Music] Ric and Sayia Robinson. Robertson. [Music] The Adult and Career Education Center graduates are Richard Craft III, [Applause] Steven Ferguson Jr. [Applause] Kiana Griffin. [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Lily Moore, Jennaise Rada [Applause] And these are the Rise Academy and Adult and Career Education Center graduates for 2025. [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] Come on. We're to celebrate our graduates. [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] To our graduates, you have successfully completed an approved program of study as set forth by the Virginia Board of Education and implemented through the Danville public school system. Therefore, it is with great pleasure that I now pronounce you graduates. Please turn your tassels.
020Congratulations, graduates. [Applause] There you [Music] go. Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] [Applause] Heat. Heat. Heat.