Members of the Kalamazoo Central 2010 graduating class accepted their
diplomas, marched across the stage and shook hands with the President
of the United States.
Every graduate got to shake his hand. Many shared a hug with him and in return heard a word of advice.
President Barack Obama had just delivered the commencement address, a
reward for the high school that bested 1,000 others to win the White
House's Race to the Top Commencement Challenge. The president said the
win showed the nation what has been accomplished at Kalamazoo Central.
His address concluded a day that included a surprise visit with seniors
before the ceremony and a visit with Democratic Party donors. Kalamazoo
residents gathered in a number of locations
across town to see the ceremony on the big screen. The day's events
were heavily reported by the national press corp. Some of the coverage: Boston Herald, Detroit
Free Press, Christian Science Monitor, CNN, FOX,
New York Times, MTV, MSNBC, USA Today, Time.com, MSNBC and
Washington Post.
The capacity crowd of more than 5,000 gathered in Read Fieldhouse on
Western Michigan University's Campus. The president offered advice, telling grads their success depends on "how
hard you try; how far you push yourself; how high you're willing to
reach. Because true excellence comes only through perseverance."
And he suggested that the anonymous donors who created the Kalamazoo
Promise -- a program that pays tuition for state college education for all
graduates of Kalamazoo Public Schools -- did it because they believed
in the potential young people in the community. "And because of their
faith that you would use this gift not just to enrich your own lives,
but the lives of others -- and the life of our nation."
Obama asked the 2010 class "to pay them back by seeking to have the
same kind of impact with your own lives; by pursuing excellence in
everything you do; and by serving this country that we all love.
"I know you can do it. After all, you are the Giants -- and with the
education you've gotten here, and the chance you have now to continue
it, there is nothing that you can't accomplish."
Writer: Kathy Jennings
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