‘Daddy Did This For You’: Newark Youth Earn High School Diplomas – Patch.com

NEWARK, NJ — The following article comes courtesy of United Community Corporation. Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site.

Ny’jahmir Mickens walked across the room at the Weequahic Park Community Center in Newark and accepted his high school equivalency diploma. The 18-year-old turned to the crowd made up of friends and families of the 18 Leaders For Life graduates, looked at his one-year-old daughter and yelled, “Daddy did this for you.”

“That was truly beautiful,” current YouthBuild student and graduation speaker Nasyr Lynn said. “I’m all about positivity. Seeing him taking this step in growing up was very moving.”

Mickens was one of four United Community Corporation YouthBuild students (Falon Newman, Zakar Kee, and Javiel Galindo) that received their diplomas at the ceremony in the end of December. They make up UCC YouthBuild’s largest graduating class since it began enrollment in September of 2020.

“Every milestone is extremely encouraging,” YouthBuild Director Jacqueline Henry said. “It is like a proud mother moment for me. It is seeing my baby – for lack of a better term – grow from infancy. This is such a milestone moment not only for the students but for the program and for the agency at large.”

Lynn had gone through the same process as this year’s four graduates just over a year ago when he received his diploma in November 2020. Since then, he enrolled in UCC’s YouthBuild Construction Training Program with the goal of being a master electrician. In under a year with the program, he has collected a First Aid/CPR certification, Lead-Safe certification, OSHA certification, and is working with UCC’s lead-safe homes program conducting outreach. He is also the Vice President of JAG (Jobs for America’s Graduates) alumni association.

Being selected to speak at the event was a milestone that Lynn will never forget.

“When I was writing my speech, I was thinking about my graduation,” he said. “After I got my high school diploma, I didn’t want to sit down and get comfortable. I wanted to keep pushing myself and keep going. I wanted everyone to know that you have to keep pushing. A high school diploma doesn’t mean to stop, it means to continue moving forward.”

All of UCC’s current graduates are following that advice for various reasons.

Mickens was inspired by his daughter and was not the only parent to walk across the stage. Classmate Falon Newman is the mother of a six-year-old. The two found a balance between parenting and school with the help and guidance of Henry, who provided them with a bit of a road map.

“I am so proud of them and it is so personal for me because I became a mom when I was in college,” Henry said. “I understand the struggles of being a young parent and having statistics stacked up against you. As I celebrate my son, who is now 23 and working on his second Master’s degree, I celebrate each of UCC YouthBuild’s graduates. In sharing my story with our participants I want to be an example of hope to let them know that this is just the beginning and that their children are really watching them. If they stay the course, push harder on the days that they really don’t feel like pushing, it is my hope that one day, they too will be able to sit back and watch their child’s success because that is what they are modeling.”

There are plenty of role models in UCC’s YouthBuild program from Henry to fellow instructors Darian Harris, Tasmeya Hall , and Milly Martinez. Martinez has been with UCC YouthBuild since February and is currently in her final semester at Kean University pursuing a Psychology Degree. She often shares with the students how she is able to balance school and work. In addition to the staff at UCC YouthBuild many students have found mentors in program partners as well as apprenticeship mentors and in their peers. Galindo is following in the footsteps of Lynn in the construction program and has already secured his forklift and lead-safe certifications.

At 16 years old, Kee was the youngest graduate in the program. He joined YouthBuild after realizing that the traditional school system wasn’t working for him. He now has a high school degree, is in YouthBuild’s full-time construction training program, and is preparing himself to attend secondary education.

YouthBuild’s goal is to prepare students for their future and allow them to create their own path. While the nationwide program is highly-touted for its job training and certification programs, YouthBuild also puts an emphasis upon secondary education if that is a path that the student chooses.

“Across the YouthBuild brand nationally, many alumni go on to secondary education,” Henry said. “YouthBuild USA has scholarships for those alums that want to go on to college. At UCC YouthBuild, we work very closely with our participants and are in constant communication with Essex County College to create pipelines for our young people so that once they complete their training, they are able to go on to college.”

In addition to working with Leaders For Life and Essex County College to fulfill educational needs, YouthBuild offers pre-apprenticeship training programs in construction, computer tech, and medical and dental tech. Once the pre-apprenticeship is completed, the young adult will work with YouthBuild’s job developer to find the right placement and will work with an alumni specialist/mentor for a year as they break into their new field.

YouthBuild is currently accepting interest forms online at https://uccnewark.org/youth-build. Inquiries can also be made by emailing youthbuild@uccnewark.org or calling 973-642-0181, ext. 5707.

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