YouthBuild North Shore Hosts First Graduation

On Wednesday, December 21st, YouthBuild North Shore, a program of North Shore Community Development Coalition, hosted its first annual graduation ceremony. Held at the Salem YMCA, the event celebrated the accomplishments of its students including scholarships and earning their Hi-SET diploma with community partners, legislators, and the students’ family and friends

“It was great to celebrate the accomplishments of our youth. They have worked so hard despite the obstacles and challenges they faced in life. All graduates are either going to college or to meaningful employment, which is a great success for both them and the program and I look forward to them staying connected to YouthBuild and encouraging other young people to take the same path,” said Felicia Pierce, Director of YouthBuild North Shore CDC.

YouthBuild graduated 18 students and recognized all 18 students with scholarships and awards. Of those 18 students, 8 are moving on to college or certificate programs, 11 are moving on to meaningful employment, 6 are graduating with both college and employment, 1 was accepted into the carpenters Union, and 1 has joined the armed forces. This year, the following students were awarded 7 special awards:

Outstanding Attendance: Scott Dyer, Joseph Doran, Brittany Donoghue
Excellence in Leadership Development: Samantha Bradford, Brittany Donoghue, Scott Dyer
Excellence in Construction: Samantha Bradford & Yudelka Matos
Completion of AmeriCorps Terms of Service: Samantha Bradford, Cristiane DeAlmeida, Brittany Donoghue, Joseph Doran, Israel Dos Santos, Scott Dyer, Yudelka Matos, Jael Medina, Luis Santana, Emily Urbaez.
Outstanding Effort in Community Service: Yudelka Matos, Samantha BradfordAgainst All Odds: Cristiane DeAlmeida, Emily Urbaez, and Luis Santana
Most Improved: Yudelka Matos
Outstanding Excellence in Education: Cristiane DeAlmeida

The graduation also featured keynote speaker Representative Paul Tucker, a consistent supporter of the program, and a short video sent in from Congressman Seth Moulton who highlighted the importance of community service.

To learn how you can get involved with YouthBuild North Shore, please visit northshorecdc.org/community/youthbuild-north-shore/