Celebrating the accomplishments of our district’s scholars is one of the best parts of my job. It is amazing to witness the transformation of young people into adulthood and the culmination of all the time, energy, and work they have put in. During graduation season, I thoroughly enjoy providing citations for high achievement, certificates for special acknowledgements, and serving as keynote speaker to encourage and inspire the next generation of leaders from our community.

My speech always includes a special message reminder that the people, businesses and institutions of the 56th Assembly District have their back. I want them to know that we support our own and will make every effort to help them reach their goals. On the Yard was our inaugural event to celebrate graduating high school seniors in a different way, while also celebrating those returning to college in the fall.

It was my pleasure to give our rising seniors a touch of the HBCU experience to nurture, encourage and instill confidence in them as they embark upon the next stage of their educational journey. We kicked off the event by setting the tone for the day with a Yoga Meditation session led by Roszella, who had everyone excited about future possibilities by the end of it. The Brooklyn Bank CEO, Jude Bernard, held the next workshop teaching powerful and practical financial literacy tips to help prepare students for their college journey, which included critical gems involving real estate.

Right before our halftime show I led a dynamic social justice panel featuring the Brooklyn NAACP, The Center for Law and Social Justice and the New York City Commission on Human Rights. It remains my focus to help young people develop healthy civic habits, skills and commitment to ensure that they, our community, and our democracy will prospers. This panel was followed by none other than author and relationship expert, Cheyenne Bostock, who went over key points of building relationship do’s and don’ts and dating tips on campus.

After our delicious lunch sponsored by AYR Wellness and drinks from Starbucks, we had our phenomenal halftime performances from New York Alliance Drumline and Empire Drummers. Next up was Chef Marilyn who taught us how to create a quick healthy smoothie in under 2 minutes and an inexpensive health consciousness meal for students on the go. She also provided everyone with a delicious sample of the guacamole and smoothie treat. This demonstration was followed up by a very eye opening workshop on Cannabis safety led by Esther Lelievre of Cultivated Community Foundation. To close out the day we had a fun time with a ‘be campus ready’ fashion show, thanks to our special fashion designers and contributors, Global Wealth, Indigo, and What Naturals Love. What an incredible time!

I want to thank my sponsors (AYR Wellness, The Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, and Starbucks), staff, and six phenomenal interns Bahiya, Jalen, Makayla, Renee, Rotimi, Sundiata for lending their expertise and putting the heart and soul into every detail. Until next time, we will see you “On The Yard” on Saturday, July 27, 2024!