Thousands of students celebrate their pledge to graduate from school

NEW YORK — It’s the biggest annual celebration of education for I WILL GRADUATE, a Brooklyn organization working to improve educational outcomes for students.
Thousands of kids packed Kings Theater in Flatbush on Tuesday for an energetic, star-studded program that included a pep rally and musical performances.
“It’s very powerful because it can encourage people to believe in what they want to do,” said high school senior Jessica Johnson.
“Putting that hug around the kids, letting them know that they could be great and that’s what this is all about. And I’m so excited, inspired, motivated,” says Tonya Lewis-Taylor, co-founder and executive director of the organization.
The festivities began with a red carpet, featuring local celebrities involved in the mission.
“Keep going, keep striving, no matter what, no matter who believes in you,” said Bronx-born rapper and producer Cash Cobain.
Earlier this school year, more than 150,000 students across the city made a public pledge through this organization to graduate on time. That kicked off a six-week program to help them stay on track, and culminated in this celebration.
“This is an opportunity for them to see the best of our community and envision who they want to be,” said state Assembly member Stefani Zinerman.
The ceremony also honored late hip-hop artist Fatman Scoop, for being an avid supporter of the organization.
“He’d be real ecstatic, he would have been up and down this red carpet, running around, jumping around and screaming. So I’m proud to be here to represent him,” said DJ Knuckles, his longtime friend and collaborator.
“All of those wonderful ads that we did, that’s Fatman Scoop’s voice, so we had to, how can we not celebrate him?” Lewis-Taylor added.
Leaders at I WILL GRADUATE said they want the moment to set the stage for both academic and personal growth.
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