Celebrating Student Success
Every year in May, High Jump holds space for a celebration two years in the making: our student’s annual Moving Up Ceremony. Held at the University of Chicago Lab Schools’ Gordon Parks Arts Hall, the ceremony serves as the culminating event to honor the hard work of each and every graduating High Jump student.
Throughout their time in the program, they have dedicated two summers, so many school year Saturdays, and countless more hours to building paths full of hope and success for their futures. They’ve grown as scholars and as leaders. They’ve built community with their peers. They’ve fortified their confidence and found their voices. They’ve explored their existing passions and discovered new ones. And they’ve prepared themselves for high school and this exciting next chapter of their lives.
At this year’s Moving Up Ceremony, we spoke to members of our graduating 34th Cohort and their parents to find out what they are most excited about as they embark on this new phase of their educational journeys. Here’s what they had to say:
Ethan
“I’m excited about entering high school. High Jump prepared me for going to high school with the necessities and the enhancing of my education, and I think I’m more prepared for my freshman year!”
Ethan with High Jump Board Chair Elect Lena Jessen
Amy
“I’m excited to meet new people and make new friends, especially because High Jump taught me to be more social with people. So, I think that’s a new skill I learned here at High Jump and I’m looking forward to doing more in the future.
Amy with her friend and fellow Cohort 34 member
Zachary
Zachary: “I’m excited for all the new things high school is going to bring to my life, the new events, the new things I’ll learn, and the new friends.”
Gazi (Zachary’s father): “We’re all so excited about the accomplishment he has made to have spent two years doing extra work. And it has paved the way for him and for his future.”
Zachary with his mom, sister, and father Gazi
Gabriel
“I’m excited to have a new beginning in high school, and High Jump has helped me learn how to make friends especially when I wasn’t very open to new people, and it helped me come out of my shell. So I’m excited to use what I learned here to build new relationships with other people.”
Gabriel with his favorite High Jump teacher Mr. Juggan
Amaya
“I’m most excited about meeting new people and finding new things to do in high school, like new extracurricular activities and trying new sports. I’ve only stuck to basketball and track, but High Jump taught me that I don’t need to just do the things I grew up doing, I can try more things and be versatile because there are so many opportunities and abilities that you can have as a person that could get you far in places.”
Amaya celebrating with her mother
Emilia, Berenice, and Janely
Emilia: “I’m just so excited for high school!”
Berenice: “I’m most excited for new friends!”
Janely: “I’m most excited for the new experiences!”
Janely, Berenice, and Emilia celebrating their accomplishments
Tatianna and her mom Margaret
Margaret: “I’m excited that she finished High Jump! Now she’s moving forward and moving to the next great thing – she’s going to a great high school at Providence-St. Mel!”
Tatianna: “I’m most excited for my new high school chapter, and to start a new chapter of my life and to meet new people.”
Margaret celebrating her daughter Tatianna’s High Jump success
All Photos by Jasmin Shah
You can help more students like all the members of the 34th Cohort pursue their dreams with High Jump’s help!