Prologue: Thank you for honoring this special ceremony for TJ who will miss the class graduation as he will be accompanying his Uncle and cousin on a cross-country road trip next week and through the rest of June. (To the travelers— Always remember to smile and wave at fellow travelers). 

I want to share a poem titled “A Walk” by Rainer Maria Rilke, a poet who expresses sentiments that speak to me on many important occasions of my life. Then I will tell you about TJ's experience and its impact on us – our walk, our circuitous journey. Thank you for taking a walk with us today. 

A Walk by Rainer Maria Rilke

My eyes already touch the sunny hill, 

Going far beyond the road I have begun.

So we are grasped by what we cannot grasp;

It has an inner light, even from a distance–

And changes us, even if we do not reach it,

Into something else, which hardly sensing it,

We already are; a gesture waves us on,

Answering our own wave…

But what we feel is the wind in our faces.

Chapter 1- The Goal:  Our “Sunny Hill'' was high school graduation in Spring, 2023 with a diploma from an art specialized NYC high school. We value education and dictate the path from the early years to go to school every day and to follow the rules for academic performance in order to be successful later in life. Our family has all followed the same course.

We walked together with all our children and with intention, never wavering from the traditional path and destination. 

Chapter 2- The Introduction:  In the beginning of the 2019/20 school year, it was a struggle to fit into a new high school in a new borough. “I feel like a mismatched puzzle piece. I can’t find my place” TJ said after the 2019 calendar year drew to an end. “Just give it time,” I said. Then the pandemic hit. There was no social interaction as everyone sat isolated in their rooms, staring at screens. The 2019/20 school year ended with “No credit” (NX) for core classes administered to many NYC public school kids.

We wandered aimlessly everyday to escape the confines of our home and to search for the people and the path that we were supposed to be on.

Chapter 3- The Transfer: We transferred to our local, zoned high school for hybrid learning in the 2020/21 school year in order to limit our exposure to COVID from a two hour, roundtrip subway commute. TJ was enrolled as a sophomore with a freshman transcript. The school required 3-hour after school sessions for most school days and weekend attendance for students to complete NX coursework and to stay on the promotion track. It was overwhelming to be rushed through school courses.  There was little tolerance for absences when TJ tested positive for COVID-19. I submitted my petition to change.org in Spring, 2021 seeking support from other parents and students in my demand that the DOE allow high school students to repeat a year. 

We did not walk together anymore. I marched –30 minutes or  2 hours every day. I never kept track and I had no route or destination. 

Chapter 4- The Struggle: The first day of the 2021/22 school year was met with much angst and trepidation by us. Now a junior (on paper), TJ was pressured to make up two years of school credit as well as requirements of junior year, including college preparation, all while still being expected to graduate in 2023. In an amendment to my petition, I pleaded to NYC DOE to give kids a fifth year of high school without stigmatizing them for not graduating with their class. But our society was not ready to customize needs for each student let alone overhaul the entire public education system. The public school was failing us, and we were failing it. TJ stopped attending NYC public school in March, 2022.

These footslogs caused stress fractures from walking as much as 6 miles every day. I deliberately chose Bryant High School as part of my route, seeking closure yet still needing to be a part of the community, a community. 

Chapter 5- The Realization: We learned through the pandemic that our values and goals are shaped by more than one path or institution. Instead of fighting to change the DOE, I sought to find an alternative high school education for TJ. We found Fusion Academy in Fall, 2022. 

My friends joined me on many of my daily strolls. We shared experiences and lived in the moment with each other and without regard for our path or destination. 

Chapter 6- The Acceptance: The individualized curriculum and one-on-one instruction at Fusion Academy have helped TJ identify his strengths and development needs over the past two years. TJ has balanced school with his work in a non-profit after-school program in Manhattan. He has completed his essay for college admissions, received an acceptance to CUNY and has taken a personal finance class to prepare him for living independently. He even advocated for himself to have a special graduation ceremony. 

Thanks to the administrators and teachers at Fusion Academy for your passion and dedication to teaching the subject matter and life lessons. You have been empathetic, adaptable and supportive to us in preparing him for his future.  We are fortunate to have been a part of the community at the Brooklyn campus. 

Chapter 7- The Journey:  I am proud of you, TJ, for how far you have come in the last five years to reach this milestone. It was not easy– the trials and tribulations of attending two high schools that couldn’t serve your needs and isolating in our 900 sf apartment, barely leaving your room for 6 months. You chose to take charge of your own destiny beginning in Fall 2022– taking responsibility for your education and recognizing that your disability has defined your character strengths– honesty, kindness and fairness as well as empathy for the children with challenges that you work with at after-school. Most importantly, you learned not to judge yourself by other people. 

Your “sunny hill” is more than a high school diploma. It is a symbol of the value you have placed on learning that there is no one, right way, there is only your way to attain the goal. I hope that you and your generation will create an improved system of learning in our country. The winds change; so keep an open mind and embrace life’s challenges in order to realize what you can become and to find your vocation. Take it one step at a time. 

Epilogue: Dr. Foot (a.k.a, Slippy, Belli), who examined my stress fractures, defined walking as an organized fall-- one foot in front of the other, balancing with each stride, creating forward motion. TJ and I frequently took “organized falls” just to get through the days of the pandemic. 

Today, we take urban hikes together with a purpose to appreciate the beauty of our ever changing environment. Even if we don’t reach our destination that day, we know that it will still be there tomorrow. 

Thank you all for being here today to celebrate with us.

Postscript: The foot doctor is Dr. Belli. In trying to remember his name, my mind conjured up Mr. Slippy who was my High School Driver’s Ed teacher.  It is an interesting juxtaposition and strangely coincidental for this memory to pop up given the timing of his death in Dec, 2022. I remember that he used to say “Smile and wave are your best defense to angry drivers”. Rest in Peace Mr. Slippy.