Graduating Black seniors from the Boulder Valley and St. Vrain Valley school districts celebrated their accomplishments Wednesday at the Boulder County NAACP’s third annual Black Excellence ceremony.
The ceremony honored the achievements of about 50 Black members of the class of 2024 from the area’s predominantly white high schools. The combined districts’ student body is around 1% Black.
Several students said they appreciated the opportunity to celebrate with a room full of other students of color, creating a feeling of connection and community.
“It was really cool,” said Desta Soma, a senior at Niwot High School who is headed to New York University to study international relations and economics.
She added that she would like to see similar events earlier in high school to connect students, as well as to see schools do more to celebrate Black culture and history.
While she said it hasn’t quite sunk in that she’s graduating, she’s “ready to start the next chapter.”
So is Boulder High senior Y’Jazzmin Christopher, who is planning to study psychology at a college in Japan after graduating.
“I’m extremely excited,” she said.
The seniors at the NAACP ceremony, held at the Boulder Valley Education Center, 6500 Arapahoe Road, were honored with certificates, financial awards, a yearlong NAACP membership and Kente cloth stoles to wear at their graduations.
“You come from a village who is rooting for you,” Boulder County NAACP President Annett James said. “No matter where you go, there is a village here in Boulder that has got your back.”
The keynote speaker, YOUnify Engagement Director Pedro Silva, talked about not wanting to attend his own high school graduation ceremony because he felt invisible during his years in school.
“How many of you feel like you’re enough,” he asked. “You are enough, no question, no doubt.”
Silva, who speaks four languages, said American English doesn’t have the words to describe the full range of what it means to be Black, instead using black in negative ways, such as “black sheep” and “blacklist.” He urged students to write their own stories and not let anyone categorize them.
“You get to decide what (Black) means to you,” he said. “Whatever it is, let it add value to you life.”
After each graduating senior was announced, Boulder Valley Superintendent Rob Anderson and St. Vrain Valley Superintendent Don Haddad offered congratulations.
Anderson thanked the NAACP for pushing the school district to be better and told the students to “just take a moment to look around.”
“I really want you to cherish each and every moment,” he said.
Haddad told the students the world needs them and asked them to be agents of change who uplift others. He also shared his favorite Martin Luther King Jr. quote: “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter.”
“I want you to always be proud of who you are and always be comfortable in speaking up,” he said.
