Culture & Community | Education & Youth | New Haven Schools | Achievement First Amistad High School
Top: Valedictorian Karriema Peters and Senior Class President Adona Blair. “When you go off to become your successful selves, you will need to maintain an equilibrium between your family, work life, and whatever challenges you face going into adulthood,” said Peters. “However, just like I experienced in high school, the friends and connections you have with family and with new people you encounter will help you navigate through it all.” Bottom: Amber Brown and Jaleesa Vincent. Abiba Biao Photos.
Before Amber Brown graduated from Amistad Achievement First High School earlier this month, she scanned a crowd of peers and parents, looking for her college and career counselor, Jaleesa Vincent.
In the last few years, Vincent has cheered her on constantly—through rigorous classes, through college application season, through an acceptance to Southern Connecticut State University that once felt uncertain. Now, she was helping her step over the finish line. And Brown could’t wait to say thank you.
That was the scene at Amistad Achievement First High School on “Signing Day,” as graduating seniors announced the colleges that they would be attending in the fall. In a whirlwind two-week span, seniors both disclosed the schools they would be attending and held a celebratory graduation ceremony, ending the year on a high note. More on that below.
“I have always viewed senior signing day as an opportunity to speak our goals into reality,” said Lead College and Career Counselor Anastasia Tabasco-Flores. “It is an opportunity to share with those who love us, not the plans we wish for, but the plans we have worked for, and particularly coming from a Black and Latinx community, there is great power in sharing our wins and our losses with our community.”
That was true for Brown, who expressed how grateful she was for Vincent’s guidance. In the last four years, she’s struggled with high school, and the future holds a fresh start for her. Brown plans to Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU) and major in nursing. She said she wants to be in an occupation that allows her to directly serve and help people.
“Make sure you have some close relationships with your teachers, and don't skip [class],” she said when asked if she had advice for underclassmen. “And if you do, don't get caught.”
Gathering her belongings in the cafeteria was fellow senior Jasmine McLaughlin. She praised peers, classmates, and supportive staff who allowed her to widen her perspective.
“They were wonderful, and they challenged me to develop relationships with people that are not solely positive or solely negative,” she said. “And it taught me that I'm going to disagree and agree with people, but that doesn't mean that I can't be respectful toward them.”
After developing and coding games using softwares like Unity and Blender, McLaughin hopes to sharpen her skills at Connecticut College by majoring in computer science and film. She said that she wants to explore the art she can make through digital media and coding.
That momentum rolled right into graduation day, as families and loved ones found themselves cheering on the Class of 2025 in SCSU’s John Lyman Center for the Performing Arts. As graduates donned their blue and white caps and gowns, the air felt electric.
Adona Blair and her mom, Nikki Blair.
It didn’t take long to see why. As senior class president Adona Blair addressed the crowd, her family cut in, too excited to wait out the speech. No one, it seemed, was prouder than her mom, Nikki Blair.
“I want to thank you all for showing up and showing out,” Blair started. “Nothing goes unnoticed and I appreciate it all. To my mother—”
“Yeah Girl!,’ Nikki Blair yelled, her voice cutting through the auditorium. She grinned from ear to ear, cellphone in hand, attentively recording every moment as she stood in the aisle. The audience erupted into cheers and applause. “Tell your mom!”
“I’m about to, don’t worry,” Adona said, laughing. “And to my mother, I love you. I would pick you in every lifetime. You raised me to be a brilliant, strong minded, young woman, and for that I am forever grateful.”
Despite shedding a few tears, Blair was able to finish her speech, eliciting laughter and applause countless times.
Nye Pouncey, Joesiah Pouncey, and Paula Tecpa.
For Joseiah Pouncey, graduation was a goal worth waiting for. Despite struggling with mental health and stress, Pouncey walked out proudly with their diploma in hand, triumphing over the challenges that once seemed insurmountable. Accompanied by sister Nye Pouncey and friend Paula Tecpa, the newly-minted graduate walked around on Southern’s academic quad to soak in the moment.
“I feel amazing. I feel like this is a long time coming,” Pouncey said. “I almost didn’t make it here, and I’m very grateful to just be here surrounded by everybody I love,” they said.
“It took forever but also one click at the same time. Like you just started school,” Nye said, turning to her sibling. “You’re a senior already!?”
For Tecpa, seeing her best friend of 10 years graduate was “a full circle moment.” To mark the occasion, she even made a pair of custom white and green heels for Pouncey, which they proudly wore as a testament to their deep bond.
Blair, meanwhile, wasn’t done with her graduate duties yet: she addressed a line of friends and staff members outside the auditorium waiting to take pictures. It was the last thing she had to do, cementing the moment one group photo at a time.
“It doesn’t feel real,” Nikki said, reflecting on her daughter’s speech and surprise of being mentioned. “Behind every great person, there’s always a great support [system].”
Blair, like Brown, is heading to SCSU and plans to major in business administration with a concentration in marketing and minor in criminal justice and psychology. At Amistad, she’s learned about herself, from work habits to self-motivation and perseverance. Now, she’s excited to take those newfound lessons into adulthood.
“The queen is out! She graduated high school and she’s going to take on the world.”