Words Of Inspiration From Ahjanay

6 MINUTE READ • STUDENT STORIES

We had the pleasure of hosting graduation for all 2020 and 2021 graduates. At our ceremony, we heard words of inspiration from students who took their education into their own hands when they enrolled in Grad Solutions. Ahjanay Green, one of our graduates, shared these words at the ceremony:

Hello, I want to thank every single one of you for being here. I’m more than happy to be on this stage celebrating this day with all of you! Being here brings me so much joy. I’d like to take a second to say thank you to my mom, who really wanted me to finish school, my cousin who always asked for updates and was a great accountability partner, my whole family, who supported me no matter what, my mentor Rusty, who always helped and understood me, and my friends who were like brothers. Sadly they couldn’t be here today but they always helped me stay on track. 

When I was growing up, I moved around a lot. I’ve spent most of my life in Chicago and Arizona. There are so many differences between these two regions, and moving from Chicago to Arizona gave me quite the culture shock. I had to adapt to different scenery, energy, and values. In Chicago, there were a few times when my life could’ve been taken and I couldn’t be more thankful to still be alive. The experiences I had there have made me more grateful to be where I’m at today.

When I started my freshman year, I wouldn’t have expected that I would almost get jumped or that I would meet people that were more in tune with the street life. Going to my next school I never thought that I would eventually drop out or even stop playing sports. Things came to a point where I couldn’t put myself back into school, I couldn’t get a job, and I barely had any clothes or food. I started hanging around a few gang members that became close to me. Once I saw the possessions they had, the jewelry, clothes, shoes, nice cars, money, that’s what I wanted, and watching how they were getting it from the sidelines, that’s how I wanted to get it. But my brothers took care of me and showed me that kind of life is not what I want and can only get me so far until I’m dead or in jail. Life hit me hard, and it took me a while to heal from it. Eventually, I hit a turning point, I was older, I understood more, and felt more. I finally stood up for myself when things weren’t right at home. I removed people who were toxic in my life and met people who cared about me. 

I want to thank Grad Solutions for believing in me as well as my fellow graduates. For believing in the fact that all of us still had a chance. Getting this diploma is important to me, through my trials I always wanted to get back on track. I wanted to be a good example. I wanted my younger siblings to see that no matter what you're struggling with, there’s always a way to accomplish your goals. I was a dropout for about a year and finally found a way to get myself back into school. I had to restart my junior and senior years, but with my determination I got it done in less time than expected. 

As we grow up, we grow our character.  We aim to be the best person we can be. But as some of us become older, we lose track of these traits because we let the bad days become a distraction from who we really are and what we are capable of accomplishing.

As I have gone through life, I’ve realized that the only thing that can hold me back is me. Yeah, you may go through many obstacles, but the only thing standing in the way of your path is your perception. Someone can tell you that you can’t and others may tell you that you can, but it all comes down to what you tell yourself and the actions you take upon that. 

My pops once told me that there are others out there who want it more than you and that played a part in why I never gave up on myself. The only support you need is your inner spirit because your mind is a powerful thing and you are capable of more than you think. 

You have to take a step in order to move forward. Graduates, every day you woke up and got ready for the day, that was a step. Every time you logged on to school, that was a step, and every time you chose to believe in yourself, that was a step. Those steps have led you to the top floor. I’m proud to congratulate you graduates, you made it!

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