On June 24th, the C5 Leaders Class of 2020 celebrated everything they have accomplished over the past five years, in a special virtual graduation ceremony. We were thrilled to welcome Jorge Moreno, from the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), who delivered the commencement address. He congratulated the class for their many accomplishments and inspired them to go out and continue changing the world: “C5 has been preparing you to develop skills to face challenges for years, preparing you for this very moment.” Jorge finished with a powerful piece of advice for the graduates about the importance of resiliency: “Always remember that failure is a feeling long before it is a result – not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it has been faced”
Jasmine Brandao, Class of 2020 student speaker, reflected on her experiences, and the impact it has had on her life – “I am overcome with emotion knowing we have accomplished a great deal. We will still think back on our memories of C5 in 20 years, when we are married with kids.” Brandao will attend Curry College in the fall.
As is traditional, the programming ended with inspiring tributes (albeit virtually this year) from friends and family of the C5 Class of 2020. Words of encouragement and hope were echoed by all, and summed up articulately by Will Ashworth – “You’re all phenomenal people, and I know you’re all going to do so many good things.”
100% of the class of 2020 graduated from high school, and nearly all have confirmed their postsecondary plans with Crossroads through our C5 Postsecondary Success Initiative. Crossroads will continue to provide our C5 graduates with tailored support in the first two years of their postsecondary journey to ensure that a firm foundation is set to earn a degree or career certification. Over 70 percent of the graduating class will be first-generation college scholars, and others are pursuing different ambitions. For a list of the colleges and programs accepted to the Class of 2020, see below.
Congratulations to the C5 Class of 2020 – you are all wonderful Faces of Crossroads!!! We are proud of all of our C5 program participants, and we know that you are destined to become the leaders and citizens this nation needs to evolve toward a place of greater justice and equality for all.
Where the Class of 2020 is going next year:
Bentley University
Boston College
Bridgewater State University
Carnegie Mellon University
Curry College
Dean College
Eastern Nazarene College
Emerson College
Framingham State University
Johnson & Wales University
Louisiana State University
Massachusetts College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences (MCPHS)
MassArt (Massachusetts College of Art & Design)
Massasoit Community College
Mount Holyoke College
New England College
Plymouth State University
Providence College
Quincy College
Richmond University, The American University in London
Roxbury Community College
Suffolk University
UConn
UMass Amherst
UMass Boston
UMass Dartmouth
UMass Lowell
United States Air Force
United States Navy
University of Hartford
Westfield State University
Wheaton College (Massachusetts)
Winston Salem State University
Worcester State University