Graduation Speech 2017 - Dennise Ponce

Good evening. Thank you for attending the Milpitas Adult Education graduation ceremony.

My name is Dennise Ponce, and first and foremost, I would like to start by saying thank you to my family and to all the families of this graduating class for your support and encouragement. That's what kept us going and helped us to complete our goal of getting our G.E.D. or HiSET diplomas.

Now to the students, I congratulate you all for completing your goal, and I am honored to know and have accomplished this goal with you. I started my journey at Milpitas Adult Education in 2015. Like you all, the thought of going back to school was on my mind and I knew I needed to do it, but a part of me was scared. I thought I was too old to go back to school. I didn't want anyone to judge me, but I was wrong. As soon as I walked into Milpitas Adult Ed, all I felt and saw were people there to help me without judgement.

My first teacher, Ms. Mendoza, helped to provide a positive learning space. She got to know me and helped grow my confidence with the stories she told about her experiences in school. Thank you, Ms. Mendoza. You helped me more than you could ever know.

My second teacher, Mrs. Laura, I was kind of skeptical about. I didn't think she would be able to help me with much, but I was wrong again. Mrs. Laura helped me to understand math, a subject I and many others in class struggled with. She and the classroom tutors, Quan and Habib, took the time to explain math in a way that we could understand. Thank you, Mrs. Laura, for all of the hours you spent helping me prepare for the tests. Being in your class was a pleasure.

I also want to thank Mrs. Patti for helping me transition from Adult Education into college and for making it easy without it being overwhelming. Since January, I've been enrolled at Mission College and now I’m proud to say that I’m done with my first semester of college! I want to thank all the staff and volunteers for helping us achieve our dreams. Thank you.