001in the sunshine Fred - step and strut give me serve me got it small as all I'm after not one that specialist how's that rings with joy like free from the killer and strike yes [Music] could be drilling with was willing to [Music] show me ready cool and get your pal leave you were on the doorstep and just direct your feet to the sunny side of the street [Music] yeah that happened to this your still life give me so sweet on the sundaes side of the street I used to walk in the shade with [Music] on the sunny side of the street [Music] [Applause] [Music] around you know claim settled revolutions in Spain the North Pole Lovejoy I can't get started [Music] at the golf course the tripled Smith to start I've got a house
002and it's a showplace so [Music] just what good does it do outfit constructed by presidency you know Hillary cuz I can't get stuck with [Music] you're so surprised we're it's out right of you three I dream me use [Music] just what good person do it consulting bout presidency you know Hillary [Music] but still [Music] I can't get started with you [Music] bow-bow don't get around [Music] I stir up submitted by they don't date [Music] get around much don't get around much anymore don't get around much anymore don't get around [Music] please rise oh say can you see by the dawn's early light what so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight or the wrap party so get me stinking who threw the let up
003lad what's you there oh say does that star-spangled banner' [Music] or the land aha Oh [Music] you may be seated good evening everyone and welcome to the graduation the 2019 graduation of the Phoenix Day School for the Deaf I am Courtney France the principal here at the Phoenix Day School for the Deaf and I'm always honored to speak here and I really welcome you all here this evening I'd also like to recognize the dignitaries that we have in the audience this evening we are honored to welcome State Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman thank you for joining us this evening and representing the Arizona state schools for the Deaf and the blind our board member we have board members with us this evening we have president Dean Howard and board member Linda vision and board
004member Linda Bove thank you for joining us this evening and of course we also have our superintendent and that Reichmann in attendance as well as superintendent dr. Kristin Rex so to the class of 2019 you all made it [Applause] you've worked extremely hard over the years from kindergarten through eighth grade and you're here tonight finally have arrived to this point your high school graduation we are also very proud of you this year our school theme was unlocking your potential and as you look around the room at parents family friends we all knew that there was so much potential within each of you and our job here at the school was to guide you and support you and encourage you and sometimes be the critic to you but we did that all because we all know
005that you so much potential it's just that you needed to be able to discover it on your own so looking back I would like to recognize each of the students here Alissa you have shown the ability to be part of a group and accomplish tasks carry your resilience and independence will continue to be attributes to help you succeed Roger you've adapted to your independent needs and continue to amaze us with your dedication to excel T on your personality is infectious and will be a joyful addition to those that collaborate with you in the future you are welcome too young to Mitchell your optimism your mindset and genuine interaction with others will always make you a good team player one you completed your commercial building maintenance course at Metro tech school Metro Tech High School it
006was great to see you learn and apply these skills Bernardo you my friend are a hard worker looking back watching you over these years grow and we've seen you work so extremely hard and just this morning your father said that you started working with him last week you didn't even wait till graduation to join the work world great job Bernardo Isabella your intellect will assist you in achieving your dreams patema your passion and motivation to learn something new is something we can all learn from you never gave up you always strive to learn more and improve in many ways having your passion and talent for working with both animals and children you have an amazing skill so just remember to take your challenges and opportunities and use it for growth Andy what are we gonna
007do without you here PTSD will not be the same without you here and I know that the Start program at the Metro Tech High School feels the same your personality your positivity your friendliness you know just continuing that and it will be infectious to other people that you're around in the future Dion you recently earned your state certification in Auto Collision and I know that you have amazing skills and you'll be putting those to work Kevin you have a level of maturity that is beyond your years your ability to be neutral and thoughtful will really serve you well Raymond we have seen and watched you grow and develop a high level of Independence we are so proud of you on you sir are determined you never gave up you work towards your goal of graduation
008and look at where you are tonight and today you gave me a gift of your cultural Burmese attire so thank you so much for the gift of that gown [Applause] Yvette this year you've been working with many children our littlest Roadrunners and they definitely look up to you so I continued I hope you continue pursuing your dreams [Applause] Mariya I know here at PTSD you've had so many challenges but you've overcome those challenges you had to first learn American Sign Language in which you did and I'm so proud of you I think that you can really pursue your dreams don't let anything stop you Hilda you also earn your state certification recently in floral design and I have seen your beautiful arrangements they are amazing I know that in your future you will make an
009impact on others around you just with your joy because those floral designs bring so much joy to those who receive them Dahlia you are it's just so amazing to watch you grow up and you're graduating today you've become such a young lady I've thoroughly enjoyed having you on the campus of the Phoenix Day School for the Deaf great job Chauncey since you've arrived to pdsd I've gotten to know you a little bit better and I've had the pleasure of being around you you're such a pleasure to be around and you're so engaging with other people and I know if you apply that to your future career whatever it may be it will serve you well Danny I love talking to you about your experiences the different skills that you've acquired and working for Larry H
010Miller I know everyone was really impressed with you everyone that worked at that location was so impressed with your work ethic and the skills that you have so continue doing that and apply those skills Jocelyne what can I say you are determined when you decide to do something you will do that and tonight and is an amazing example of that and I know that there'll be so many opportunities for you in the future and it really comes down to you choosing what you want to do and being determined because I know you will succeed in whatever you decide to do Maddi your future is bright the world is ready for you now you receive so many scholarships and academic accolades I know that you worked hard throughout the four years you were in high school
011and you showed other people that whatever they want to do they can I'm extremely proud of you Rosina your involvement with Xhosa at the Moon Valley nursing program has allowed you to gain skills you've won awards people have really noticed that you are extremely talented in the area of Nursing and I hopefully you will be pursuing that as a future career because I know that you really care about people and want to help take care of them Gabe you recently earn your state certification as well in heating and air conditioning in automobiles and I think I'm gonna have you come back here to pdsd and check out all of our state car air conditioning systems hopefully you'll be willing to do that Kiana your goal of owning your own business I know that you can
012accomplish that now I'm just really curious what type of business you plan on owning so please let us know keep us in the loop and as you can see going through the list of names the accomplishments that they've done over the years is just a glimpse of what they've done really they've done so much more and have shown us so much more they have so much potential to find within themselves and to show the world I know that you'll all be going on different paths in your future but you'll forever be a Road Runner we won't be there by your side every step of the way but we'll still be here in the wings supporting you from afar and cheering for you from afar so we're watching and celebrating all of your accomplishments that I
013know are to come so to the class of 2019 I am so proud of you congratulations [Applause] it is now my pleasure to welcome pdsd senior representative to the stage Carlos Daniel Cordero [Applause] good evening everyone my name is Danny Cordero in the senior class chose me to be their representative this year I tell you we have had an amazing journey together looking back when we were young we were just young kids we've had an amazing time together señores Wow we grew up since kindergarten some of you joined us later we've been together for a while oh the memories we've had half of us went to California just recently we had our senior trip it was amazing we had so much fun I will never forget the time we have they're just a lot of
014fun we got to see new things it was amazing it was just a wild experience I do want to tell you all that when we graduate it's not the end we are gonna take keep in touch we want to know about your getting a job going on to college family's weddings kids and all of that we're gonna keep in touch and then get together in 25 years looking forward to that so I want to thank all the parents for helping raise us you helped us accomplish this and thank you to all the teachers and aides and staff as well I know we gave you a hard time but we're still thankful we love you all now it is my pleasure to introduce Carla Gutierrez she is our commencement speaker for tonight Karla was born and
015raised in Los Angeles California and she was born into a deaf family and went to a mainstream school Harlan wanted to become a model she started that off being a model but now she is on De Panne and that is the Deaf professional arts Network and she is an anchor she is an activist for the Latina community and she also is now on the nonprofit organization called Alma D mulk said ista please welcome Carla to the stage [Applause] I want to thank Carlos such a for such a kind introduction and thank you all for allowing me to speak here tonight I want you to know I'm nervous but I'm extremely thrilled to be here and celebrate this special occasion this is one it's truly one of my greatest honors in life with that good evening
016ladies and gentlemen teachers staff parents families friends and class of 2019 first of all I want to congratulate all of you and really you should be very very proud of yourselves to have made such an accomplishment know that I'm sure you're now anxiously waiting for the ceremony to be over to that moment where you walk across the stage diploma in hand ready to take off and conquer the world right well it's been nine years since I graduated from high school nine years ago things have changed you know in high school any time we think of high school we think back to those good memories and you know you're in school for 12 years 12 years that means 144 months 625 weeks four thousand three hundred eighty days just take a moment a moment to let
017that seek in how many of you remember being forced to take classes such as English math science and history right and every year I always told myself why do I need these classes what is the purpose and I'm sure you felt the same way right but you'd be surprised how those courses apply to our lives let's start off with English class it's what we use to read and write like we'll write some cool quotes on our Instagram Facebook or Twitter feeds right we read the news gossip articles and text messages now for math what's the point in that well that helps us with our problem-solving and learning how credit works and paying the bills which you will be doing for the rest of your lives yes no joke and science really helped us learn about
018the world around us the weather system global warming medicine and our bodies lastly history my least favourite subjects but today history is extremely important we learn about politics the law society our identities Deaf culture and how to be a good citizen graduation really it's a fresh start and I know some of you may be planning to go to a university or Community College that's great keep going others of you may be looking forward to going straight to work that's fine make that money and some of you may be thinking you know I just want to take some time off and that's okay it's just important you know what you want to do there's no right or wrong here some of you may want to become a teacher or a lawyer maybe some of you want
019to work at a desk or be a preschool teacher maybe you want to be a full-time mom or dad it's important that you know what you want oh I'm pretty sure you know this famous quote we can just travel right yeah and you can you can travel the world if that's what you want with all of those processions in mind the key is to keep going let's say you choose a job that doesn't excite you just find what you love and do it we all have passions in life and we have to aspire to pursue those passions find it inside of you because that's extremely important when I was a graduate I took a six-month sabbatical to really take time to reflect on what I wanted to do with my life and I decided to
020start off with something small I got a modeling job which led to a job cast on the show switched at birth which led to me being a part of deaf West production and then I got a job as a news anchor on d-pan TV and now look where I am on the stage of your graduation I don't have a college degree but I know what I want in life and you will be the same a key is to keep moving don't stop the more you move the more opportunities for success you will have in life and a small or large success it doesn't matter it's still success now you are the only person living your life you're the only person making the choices for yourself you may feel like some dreams are taking forever to
021accomplish or they're too hard just keep at it it'll be worth it in the end and one of my favorite quotes that I always think of if you're given a great opportunity take it opportunities don't knock twice and that's so true don't sit around and wait I never do I don't wait for someone to call me I take them if someone contacts me I will take it I'll never regret it so right now I'm looking around this room and I can see and feel many emotions I'm sure some of the parents are feeling nervous maybe that your child is going to college whether it be in state or out of state you may feel anxious that they're entering adulthood I can understand that I see some parents are grieving that their child is no longer
022a child anymore and maybe some of you parents are thrilled that your child is an adult and ready to leave the nest okay now I'm just kidding just kidding let me tell you what my parents thought when I graduated my parents were thrilled my parents were just so excited my mom was excited because she didn't have to get up every morning to make sure I got up on time and my dad was excited because he didn't have to take me to school anymore when I got a blade and now looking around to the families I just want to congratulate you you should be extremely proud of yourselves for supporting your child and making such a great impact on them and I want to remind you of this graduation ceremony is not only for your child
023this is your graduation too you've invested with every bone every drop of blood sweat energy and love you've picked them up and drop them off from school you've bought them new backpacks and supplies year after year you even went to their parent-teacher conferences sporting events academic events you picked up your sick child missing work or missing work when they got in trouble and really the point is you've supported and believed in your child's and look where they are right now no I'm serious look at your kid right now look at them they're here because of you they're here because of you look at them and their cap and gowns they look great and really you're one of the reasons that they're here soon they'll be walking across the stage and tomorrow starts their next the
024next chapter of their life so to the families and parents we apply to you let's give your parents a big round of applause come on to the Phoenix a school for the deaf teachers and staff this graduation could not I emphasize could not be possible without you you've taught your student more than just academics you've taught them the value of a good education you've taught them life lessons you've helped them discover who they are you've supported encouraged them to be successful I know you've invested your time and energy and your knowledge it's like you've lived a double life but in a good way we all know that you have lives outside the school grounds but look at your students right now they're here because of you too and for that we're grateful let's give them
025a round of applause and last to the graduates 12 years ago when your parents dropped you off for that first day of school you may not remember that like me I didn't remember it either but our life journey begun right there remember flat fast forward to your fifth grade promotion your first promotion the first graduation experience that you had fast-forward to your eighth grade promotion ceremony and at that time you are you had your friends circle you were looking forward to joining sports and I'm sure you are excited to call yourself a freshman no longer a middle schooler or an eighth grader fast-forward to your freshman year where I'm sure some of you felt like oh I can't wait to get to my senior year already and I bet you were wondering what you would
026be like your senior year well that's for to where you are now you're a senior and you're going to graduate today today it's here I remember my graduation very clearly sitting in the stands just like you watching commencement speakers just like you are doing now it is my pleasure to witness one of many many milestones that will come in your life today is your day to remember for the rest of your life tomorrow you will start a new chapter now now you're armed with a new goal and a new beginning now every one of you hold the power of your education your life in your hands it is yours the future is with you and now with that future seize every opportunity you can I'm truly so excited to see what's in store for you
027congratulations to the class of 2019 best of luck and now is my pleasure to introduce Kiana Velasquez our Phoenix a School for the Deaf salutatorian [Applause] I want to thank our commencement speaker thank you so much Carla that was amazing hello everyone my name is Kiana Vasquez I am going to Arizona native for the past 19 years I attended school at Phoenix Day School for the Deaf since the first grade and I remember some of you from that time and some of you came later I can't believe how quickly time is flown by I want to thank the teachers the staff our school principal everyone you've taught me to read to write you've taught me arithmetic you've taught me to prepare for college and the real worlds I'm so proud of my school everyone there
028has always been there for me they checked on me to make sure I was doing well getting good grades in school and now I'm graduating with my classmates of 2019 PBSC will always be my second home and I will miss you so much I also want to thank all my friends and my coaches as well there's a lot of opportunities at pdsd to be a part of the sports we can travel out of state we went to New Mexico Washington I was a part of various teams from basketball and volleyball we won six championships in basketball the roadrunner classic and the western state basketball classic pretty impressive I really want to thank my classmate joseline and Maddy joseline has known me since the second grade and Matty and I have known each other since freshman
029year my freshman year I had surgery on my knee I was injured I was really down and I felt like I had lost myself I couldn't play basketball but yo Selene and Madi stayed by my side they were always there for me always be my sister's freshman year was tough but by my junior year I wondered should I go back should I play again and with the support of my sisters I was back on the team we thought we could get the championship but we didn't make it but then we believed in ourselves and we built our team in our senior year we won two championships we made it and I'll never forget that moment on the court that we won those championships look that was the best experience ever in my life thank you
030I love you both lastly I want to thank my large family everything my family has done for me throughout my life I am truly blessed to have you there's no way I can live without you and I know that the feeling is mutual with you you guys are my rock in my life when I didn't believe in myself you still believed in me when I wanted to give up you pushed me to be persistent and to never give up and that's why I am where I am today and I am extremely grateful to you for that I'm extremely blessed to have my mom who is my greatest role model a woman I look up to a woman who has given me sound advice and has prepared me for the real world thank you mom [Applause]
031now it's time I feel like we're ready to graduate my family my mom my sister my dad and my cousins thank you I love you all and the last thing I want to say it doesn't matter your struggles to my fan out I'm sorry to my family I will always be your daughter I always went to my parents asking for help and I knew that they would give it to me they always were on my side and no matter if I become an adult I'll always be your little girl and to everyone here thank you for your support I welcome your open arms I will miss you all and I can't wait to see our class of 2019 what the future has in store for us best of luck to you and thank you everyone
032now it is my pleasure to welcome our valedictorian Maddy fears [Applause] I am a little nervous so my name is Maddie fears and thank you all so much everyone for coming this evening I want to welcome family friends staff members you're the reason that I'm here this evening as valedictorian to the class of 2019 tonight is a special night we are graduating and entering the world chasing after success there's one quote that I'd like to share with you by Sheryl Sandberg and she spoke to the graduates at Barnard College in 2011 and she said don't let your fears overwhelm your desire let the barriers you face and there will be barriers be external not internal fortune does favor the bold and I promise you that you will never know what you're capable of unless you
033try it just means don't be afraid to try and overcome any barriers don't shy away being assertive will lead to success and you'll never know what you can do unless you try so tonight I'm finally graduating from the Phoenix Day School for the Deaf time has gone by so fast and I remember looking back there's a picture of me as a little baby in my father's arms and it's like blink and I'm here on the stage speaking to you as valedictorian with my father in the audience watching me you'll never know how fast time is going to go so cherish every moment cherish everyone in your life in every event be it small or large every minute every hour every second every year cherish it all growing up my life wasn't always easy same as
034some of the graduates here you know we've all faced barriers and challenges obstacles we've had to overcome those obstacles and grow from them people told me that after graduation I'll also experience a lot of barriers and challenges but I think we all need to remember to stay strong and be true to ourselves you know my life has been like a roller coaster I've had good days and bad but if it wasn't for my two fathers I would not be where I am today so I'm so grateful to the two of you my father Flint and then my second father Wes you all have been by my side every step of the way I want to talk about my father Flint for a moment he's been with me through it all he never let anyone stand
035in my way or hold me back he's been my number one Supporter he's always accepted me for who I am and supported what I wanted he's played many different roles in my life he's been my best friend my role model my assistant principal my whole world and he's been a mother figure to me and the reason that I say he was a mother figure to me is because when I was four my mother left the family and so he had to take on both roles and that was hard for him at first because he was the father but he's done amazing and has handled both roles amazingly well you know it's been I'm just so grateful to my fathers they've been with me and supported me I know I don't show them enough how much
036I appreciate them but I do my years in school have been really hard I've attended many different schools at times I was at schools where I was mainstreamed where I might have been one of the only deaf students or schools for the Deaf where there were others I've been to maybe seven schools over the years and I've had a lot of challenges when I was in third grade I was in a mainstream program where I was placed in the gifted program and that was the first time I realized that I could learn the same as anyone that wasn't deaf that I was just as smart as my peers in that class but that positive experience didn't last long I transferred to a different school where I was then bullied because I was deaf I had
037a lot of conflicts with friends then I transferred to other schools but I was still bullied for simply being Who I am so my family decided to look for better educational opportunities for me which led us to the Phoenix Day School for the Deaf we moved here from Arkansas at the beginning it was hard it was a different environment new people but I really grew to understand what my new reality was the new world I was entering and really discovering Who I am teachers would often tell me to cherish the moments the time I had and that college scouts are watching so that led me to try and find who my true friends were and what my path and life was going to be I was very involved in different clubs and activities sports and
038theatre I talked about having true friends I'm so grateful to all of my friends out there both in school and outside of school but I want to say specifically thank you to two of you Kiana and yaw Selene we have been through good days and bad through everything together I couldn't have survived high school without the two of you I'm so lucky to have you both in my life you are so special to me and I know in the future we're still going to stay in touch I just want to say thank you for everything you've done for me and before I end my speech tonight to the class of 2019 I think it's important to find the right crowd of friends because they can help lead you to a successful life over the years
039I won many awards and academics and in sports I was a prom queen and I was chosen as a senior as a princess to be part of homecoming royalty and I know that those were accolades but they were due to all the hard work that I put in and I'm so proud of myself for doing that and knowing I can do even more those awards were just a bonus rewarding me for that hard work but I know that the future has a lot more hard work to come and again if it wasn't for both of my fathers being here for me I would not be where I am today and not just the two of you but I want to thank all of the families here tonight all of the teachers yes I love you
040all the staff members the coaches in the audience and last but not least my principal Courtney Fritz so to the class of 2019 other advice I have for you is the future you know we don't know what to expect but there will be obstacles there will be barriers and challenges but try to overcome them no matter where you are whether you go to college where you start to work immediately or you're trying to meet new friends just never give up you bat it giving up you'll never know what you're capable of you don't know where life could lead you you're going to make mistakes but making the same mistake over and over isn't wise learn from those mistakes and become better and better in the fall I'll be attending Gallaudet University majoring in clinical psychology
041and minoring in theatre I want to study psychology so I can help the deaf and hard of hearing community those who struggle with mental health I want to be able to support them and any of the issues they have working with children or adults at the same time I've also made it onto their softball team so I'm looking forward to figuring out how to balance athletics and my studies and I found an amazing quote that I want to share with you today it's by Michael Dell chairman of Dell company and he says as you start your journey the first thing you should do is throw away that store-bought map and begin to draw your own and I truly believe in us creating our own path in life again thank you Dad thank us thank you
042to all of you you are the reason I am Who I am there's a lot of different things I've done and awards I've gone but that doesn't define me you all have helped define who Maddie is and I know that as I move forward I can seek sassette seek success and to wrap up I'd like to end with a quote by VG buri is that someone's going to have a great life it might as well be you believe it embrace it and then remember to listen learn and give back I love you all now I'd like to have our pdsd senior fight song team please come to the stage joseline and Kiana incredible I really enjoyed everyone's message and what they've said so far is really inspiring you've made important words that have touched the
043hearts of everyone here Thank You Carla for your words of wisdom as well our next speaker it is my honor to welcome to the stage Arizona State Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman Kathy Hoffman has spent her career in public education starting off as a preschool teacher and then becoming a speech therapist working in the Vale school district then moving to the Peoria School District just as past November 2018 she was elected as Superintendent of Public Instruction and began her duties in January 2019 in office as State Superintendent she oversees all public education throughout the state of Arizona she manages a department of approximately six hundred professional educators who work throughout the state the superintendent's vision and within the leadership of the Department of Education her experiences as an educator and her as an advocate
044of students with disabilities believes in all students within the states that they can learn and should have equal access to education a high quality public education through her commitment investments and inclusion inclusive policies she believes the Arizona become can become a leading state for education throughout the nation her work throughout the state and within the classroom like her colleagues in the classroom superintendent Hoffman holds a firm belief the Arizona's future starts within our schools so please join me in welcoming and thanking superintendent Hoffman for being here with today good evening and thank you so much for having me here tonight and also thank you to all the families friends and educators who supported tonight's graduates and all of their amazing accomplishments on and earning their diplomas on behalf of the Department of Education I want
045to say and I want to say congratulations on your amazing accomplishments sometimes people ask me how can you be so optimistic about the future of Arizona schools well the truth is is that by seeing all of our dedicated teachers and students across the state and also moments like this when we were celebrating the success of our students I am constantly in awe and inspired by your accomplishments and your passion for most of us we don't have a predictable career path when I graduated from high school when I was in your seat I thought maybe I'll be a CIA or an FBI agent then in college I majored in Japanese and realized it's not that useful here I didn't expect to become a teacher and I certainly never plan to run for office but I followed
046what I was curious and passionate about and Here I am today defying all odds as the youngest woman elected to statewide office in the country my hope for each of you is that after tonight you will continue to keep your dreams big and challenge yourself both professionally and personally I encourage you to go for that college degree or seek a vocational skill a vocational school to enter your dream profession be a leader in your community you may maybe you will run for office or better yet become a teacher Arizona needs more teachers I know this is just the beginning for all of you and I am very optimistic about your future and again congratulations [Applause] thank you so much superintendent Hoffman and now is the moment you've all been waiting the time has arrived for
047the presentation of the diplomas please join me on the sage super assistant superintendent Kristin I'm sorry assistant principal Christopher Flint Fears assistant principal Jill Voigt [Applause] ASDB board president Dean Howard ASDB superintendent Annette Reichman and ASDB assistant superintendent Kristin Rex presentation of the diplomas for the class of 2019 Alisa Madonna amaavas iike [Applause] Kerry Lynn a store [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Roger Antonio Bonilla [Applause] tea on Sheree Burke [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Mitchell Lee Charlie jr. [Applause] Carlos Daniel or vero [Applause] joseline Samara Espinosa Soto [Applause] maddy and draw fears [Applause] one Loras Junior [Applause] Bernardo Garcia [Applause] Isobella jaslyne haddock [Applause] Fatima Ibrahim [Applause] Haneen Foad jawad [Applause] undress Lehman Galicia [Applause] Rosina Alice Rosina Alice marques Abalos [Applause] Dion Anthony melero Hernandez [Applause] Evan Mercado [Applause] [Music] Gabrielle Antonio Meza Ortiz [Applause] Sony Raymond Montenegro
048[Applause] [Music] [Applause] on zhamuhe [Applause] even a valise muchacho Neto [Applause] Chauncey Burrell Phillips [Applause] Dahlia regice [Applause] Elda Estela Valenzuela [Applause] maria fernanda by a Lopez [Applause] Jana Britney Vasquez [Applause] [Music] [Applause] the class of 2019 congratulations wow it's amazing to be here with you so I have one more story before we wrap up this evening so just last week I flew to Virginia I was visiting fent friends out there and one of the husbands was sitting and talking about their life and I was speaking with him and he shared with me you know his story and it was fascinating the two of them are both deaf and the husband had told me that growing up he had always had goals and dreams of becoming a basketball referee it's what he always wanted when
049he graduated from high school that he realized he couldn't earn a living working as a referee and so he decided to go to college where he earned a bachelor's degree in social work from Gallaudet University and so he worked for a good 15 years as a social worker he worked with group a group home individuals with disabilities helping them and after a while after 15 years he decided he would go back to school he wanted to change and so he earned his bachelor's degree in accounting so then for the next 15 years he was an accountant after an amount of time when he was about 55 years old he decided or excuse me interpreter he was actually laid off and he wasn't sure what to do you wanted wasn't sure what to do with his
050life he wasn't able to work as an accountant and this was in 2008 there was an economic depression and not many people were willing to hire an accountant that was deaf so he decided that he would go back to school again to become a basketball referee when he was 55 years old and that just astounded me I mean that's old right 55 I'm thinking you were 55 years old you decided to go back to school and take courses to become a basketball referee Wow and that's what he'd been doing for the past ten years he had to start working as a referee with intramural sports volunteering working with adults refereeing for them which he was willing to do he knew he had to start there and then as he took more classes more training and
051during the classes an interpreter was provided during the trainings an interpreter was provided but on the court the interpreter was not there it was him refereeing and he then moved his way up to middle school refereeing so we refereed basketball games for those middle schoolers and others around him looked at him wondering how a deaf person could be a referee and they really doubted his skills but that he was persistent he practiced he refereed games he went to great games and he slowly made his way to the high school level working with the Freshman team and so he refereed many basketball games and this was in the public school system not in just schools for the Deaf but the local schools he worked with them refereeing their games and then just recently he made his
052way up to the varsity level working with junior and senior players and he told me it is extremely competitive they are fast and they are back and forth on the court and he is now 65 years old and I'm thinking you're running on the basketball court in front of everyone and he says he has to he has to keep up he has to see what they're able to do and then when the ball turns over to the other team he has to follow them down the court and he's 65 years old and what he told me is you know the other refs are even older than me and they're able to do that and I'm thinking what are you serious and he is his goal of becoming a referee now he wants to work at
053the collegiate level and work with college teams he's 65 and he still has those goals for himself and he did experience a lot of barriers along the way people looked at him and assumed that he couldn't be a referee but he had to prove himself time and time again and he proved them wrong he's been working his way up so I look forward to the next five years him when he's 70 years old becoming a college level referee and so this is my story I wanted to share with you tonight don't ever give up in life pursue pursue your dreams you know that you can do it others might tell you you can't they might doubt you they might say you're a woman you can't don't listen to them you do what you can do
054follow your heart follow your dreams even if you're 70 80 90 so congratulations to all of you to the class of 2019 [Applause] Thank You superintendent Reitman Reichman now it is my honor and privilege to present to you the graduating class of 2019 please join us for photos and refreshments outside thank you all for coming and good evening