On Oct. 25, 35 graduates processed down the center aisle of a packed auditorium as SCI Waymart hosted its annual academic graduation ceremony. The proud graduates were surrounded by support from their loved ones as well as Waymart employees, Certified Peer Specialists, teacher aides, housing unit tutors, library workers, and Keystone College’s Inside Out class. Special guests from Central Office, Shining Light and Prison Fellowship also attended.
For most of the ceremony, the podium was occupied by Waymart’s future reentrants.
“Some of our loved ones traveled very far to be with us today, and they probably never thought they would see us at a graduation. However, look at us now,” said one graduate who earned his Commonwealth Secondary School Diploma (CSSD).
“Let us seek the strength to embrace this change, and let us recognize that we can use it to change the lives of others in the same positive direction that education changed ours,” said a graduate during his invocation. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies.
“It may not always be easy but remember, easy things in life are rarely worth anything. And things in life that are worth anything, are rarely easy,” said a graduate who earned his NOCTI in BIP. He is currently enrolled in cosmetology.
The guest speaker was Victor Polanco, a workforce development specialist at the Wayne Pike Workforce Alliance. He told the graduates that they are never too old to learn. His father earned a bachelor’s degree when he was 72-years old! He also advised the graduates to find their niche in life and then strive to excel in that area.
The majority of the graduates were in yellow gowns signifying that they earned a vocational certification, Commonwealth of PA Cosmetology/Barber/Barber Teacher license, or workforce credential. Graduatesin a black gown earned academic degrees. One graduate earned his GED, five earned a CSSD, and one earned a Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies through a correspondence course.
Following the ceremony, graduates enjoyed homemade pizza and iced pumpkin cookies prepared by students in Waymart’s Restaurant Trades program.