Marshall, Class of 2009

Working at Marshall is what helped me pass the time while I was trying to overcome the various obstacles to getting into graduate school. Depending on the year, 2 or 3 days a week, I rode the bus in the cold rain to work with squirrely yet lovable 9th and 10th graders. I did that up until the full-time reality of graduate school classes hit, and went back for the last time in 2008.

My original group of 9th graders graduated this year--I wonder how many of them made it to this day? And I wonder how much their participation in the Title I intervention program encouraged them to keep going? I would have liked to attend the Biztech graduation (this group of kids was pretty special to me...I had them for a couple of years, and they were my most recent "class"). Unfortunately these days, it's pretty unpredictable how I'll feel from one day to the next, and after feeling perfectly fine all afternoon, I was totally wiped out by 4pm, and knew I would not be able to handle driving over there and sitting in the gym for a couple of hours. So I didn't go. I may always regret not seeing them graduate, but I know I'll never forget my Biztech crew.

A Graduation Poem for the Class of 2009

Now that you’ve survived and graduated from Biztech,
Don't let nothing stop you now,
You’ve overcome a lot to get your diploma,
It’s time to stand up and take a bow,
Congratulations 2009 Biztech graduates,
You've taken the first step into a future that will be strong and bright,
May you achieve your hopes and dreams,
I know you'll be all right.