Every year, SEED students continue to defy the odds, reach their goals, and chart their own paths towards earning college degrees and establishing fulfilling careers. This May, to celebrate our scholars’ successes, we shared the stories of SEED high school seniors and recognized their achievements with a virtual graduation. We also highlighted our college graduates who are taking the next big step - starting a professional career.
We kicked off graduation season with SEED College Graduate Spotlights, to highlight seven exceptional SEED alumni who recently graduated from college. Among these graduates is La’Dearia Poulson (SEED DC ’15). She earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from North Carolina Central University and is looking forward to beginning her career as a kindergarten teacher this fall. Her long-term goal is to become a school social worker.
We also celebrated more than 50 high school seniors from The SEED School of Washington, DC and The SEED School of Maryland at their virtual graduations on Saturday, June 13. We heard from Mikyle Gregory (SEED MD ’20), class valedictorian. He spoke about persisting through adversity to reach his goals. “Even though a global pandemic happened during my senior year of high school, I remained focused on my education and I encouraged my peers to do the same.'‘ Dakota Blakney (SEED DC ’20), class salutatorian, shared some of her most memorable moments at SEED. “One of my favorite memories at SEED was attending our 9th grade retreat. We traveled to the Princeton-Blairstown Center in New Jersey for a week of adventure-based learning and team building.”
View our virtual graduations at SEED DC and SEED MD.
Our students’ journeys are not finished on high school graduation day, which is why our work does not end there either. From senior year through their college graduation, every SEED student has a staff member dedicated to their success. One of the ways we help our students reach their educational goals is through scholarships. Thanks to the generosity of our community, this year alone we have awarded over $200,000 in merit and need-based scholarships.
Because of their hard work and the support of our wonderful community, our scholars are headed to colleges and universities across the country including, Sewanee: The University of the South, Rochester Institute of Technology, and Howard University. And our recent college graduates are taking the leap into the workforce. We couldn’t be prouder of their accomplishments!
Follow The SEED Network on social media to see how we celebrated our scholars—and join us in ensuring that every student can achieve his/her college dreams!
SEED’s College Transition & Success Team