Dreams come true as high school marks first graduation
Moments before the first graduation at Providence Cristo Rey High School in Indianapolis on June 9, most of the graduating class posed for a photo with their senior adviser, Providence Sister Maureen Fallon. From left, Quincy Bryant, Janata Williams, Shatera Madding, Simon Arteaga and Jude Okpalannaka pose in their caps and gowns. Missing from the photo is the sixth graduate of the class, Angietoria Lynem. (Photo by John Shaughnessy)
By John Shaughnessy
It was a night when so many dreams came true.
Six high school students lived the dream of overcoming immense odds to earn a special place in the history of their school.
A small group of parents who dreamed of a better future for their children beamed as they watched their sons and daughters reach a goal that they believe will change their children’s lives.
Providence Sister Jeanne Hagelskamp wept tears of joy seeing the “six pioneers” receive their high school diplomas—the first class to graduate at Providence Cristo Rey High School in Indianapolis, a private , secondary school that she and so many others worked so hard to create from the shared belief that children from low-income families deserve the opportunity to dream, too.
Then there was the 17-year-old youth and his family who seemed to represent the dream that has guided the entire history of Catholic education in the United States—the dream of transforming young lives through an education grounded in faith, commitment and promise.
As Jude Okpalannaka walked across the stage in the school gymnasium to receive his diploma on June 9, he knew the joy that he shared with his five classmates: Simon Arteaga, Quincy Bryant, Angietoria Lynem, Shatera Madding and Janata Williams.
Jude also knew he had reached another milestone in his amazing personal journey.
In 2000, when Jude was 8, his family left Nigeria to come to the United States to live.
“My parents came here for a fresh start,” Jude recalled two days before graduation. “The freedoms and opportunities here are unlike any other country. My mom said they came here to give us a chance at success.”
But the trip from Africa to Maryland was only part of the journey for Jude. It was also a time of uncertainty for him as he left behind his friends, and wondered how he would fit in a new country and a new culture.
By the time he was finished with his freshman year at a public high school in Maryland, his parents thought he had over-adjusted to life in America.
“My parents noticed I was acting up and not getting good grades,” Jude said. “My mom thought it would be a good idea to send me away from home to shape up.”
The Providence Cristo Rey national network of 24 schools appealed to Jude’s mother because of its faith-based, work-study approach to high school education. Students attend school four days a week for extended classes. They work the fifth day in a business setting, earning money that helps pay for their education.
Bernadina Okpalannaka tried to get Jude into the Cristo Rey High School in Baltimore, but it wasn’t accepting new sophomores at the time. Then a family friend in Indianapolis told her that a new Cristo Rey High School was opening there in August 2007, and that sophomores were being accepted, too.
After a drive of 600 miles from his home in Maryland, Jude arrived just in time for the dedication of Providence Cristo Rey High School in Indianapolis. At 15, he started the school year living with a host family he had never met.
While Jude seemed to be starting with almost nothing but a dream in those first few days, he mirrored the situation of the school itself when Sister Jeanne was hired as its president in 2005.
At the time, Providence Cristo Rey High School didn’t have a staff, a building or any students. But it did have a commitment from the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods to make the school one of its ministries. And, in Sister Jeanne, it had a leader whose non-stop energy is matched by an undaunted resolve to make a difference in the lives of young people.
In 2007, she and her staff opened the school doors to about 90 freshmen and a small number of sophomore students, including Jude, Simon, Quincy, Angietoria, Shatera and Janata.
As they walked across the stage on June 9 to receive their diplomas, the six seniors shared the special bond that develops when a small group overcomes odds and earns success. They also shared the triumph of being accepted into college.
“I feel very pleased by that,” Sister Jeanne said. “For me, watching these seniors, particularly over the past few weeks, shows the bond we hope to have at Providence Cristo Rey. I see them latching on to the values we’ve tried to instill in them. They’ve risen up and held on to a steadfast faith.”
The theme of steadfast faith resounded through the Baccalaureate Mass that preceded the graduation ceremony. As the main celebrant of the Mass, Msgr. Joseph F. Schaedel used his homily to instruct the graduates about their approach to the future.
“The Lord says we are light for the world,” said Msgr. Schaedel, the vicar general of the archdiocese. “Every single Christian is meant to be a light for the world. Your light must shine before others. Your light must glorify God.”
The graduation ceremony was a special blessing for Msgr. Schaedel and Annette “Mickey” Lentz, the archdiocese’s chancellor and the executive director of Catholic education and faith formation. In 2002, Msgr. Schaedel and Lentz approached the Sisters of Providence about sponsoring a Cristo Rey school.
Still, the evening belonged to the graduates. As the class valedictorian, Shatera thanked everyone who made the dream of Providence Cristo Rey High School a reality. As salutatorian, Jude spoke from the heart about the way the school changed him and his classmates.
Their words were savored by Providence Sister Maureen Fallon, the adviser for this senior class.
“We’ve shared so many stories,” she said. “They all have stories of personal hardship, but you don’t see that. They’ve learned to be with their hardships and not be overcome with them. I remember when they came to us as sophomores. I thought how young they looked then, and how mature they are now. I have great admiration for their persistence.”
When her thoughts turned to Jude, she mentioned how it would have been easy for him to return to Maryland after his sophomore year—an offer his parents made to him. But he came back because he saw the changes in himself that his parents wanted for him, and that he wanted for himself.
“What holds him together is his faith,” Sister Maureen said. “He comes to school each morning at 6:30. When you see him down in the cafeteria before school, he’s praying the rosary on his beads.”
It’s one of the many memories of the first graduating class at Providence Cristo Rey High School. Everyone associated with that class will hold onto their own memories of the “six pioneers.”
On the night of their graduation, the seniors also held on to each other, their teachers, their friends and their families.
Jude was surrounded by his mother, his father and his four siblings after the ceremony. The joy and the pride flowed.
“It’s been a long journey for him,” Jude’s mother said. “As fate would have it for him, it turned out well. I’m very, very proud of him.”
Jude felt pride, too, especially for the bond of his classmates.
“We’re the first graduating class,” said Jude, who will attend Indiana State University in Terre Haute to become a nurse. “It’s a huge milestone. It shows, with the right people and the proper guidance, anything is possible. Anything is achievable.”
On a night when so many dreams came true, Sister Jeanne often fought back tears through the graduation ceremony. Through tears, she shared one more thought about the members of the school’s first graduating class.
“It’s our founding group of kids who are off to college,” she said. “If it had been easier for them, it would be easier to say goodbye. But they’ve had struggles and they’ve continued to persist. When you see that determination, it’s hard to say goodbye to them.”
(To learn more about Providence Cristo Rey High School in Indianapolis, log on to www.pcrhs.org.) †
