Bubakarr Jalloh
Class of 2014
8th grade Breakthrough graduation speech
Hi, my name is Bubakarr Jalloh, I am an eighth grader from the SJU site. During my two years at Breakthrough it has been a great honor to be a part of this program because it has helped my young fertile mind grow beyond expectations to love learning. Breakthrough has challenged me to not be afraid to express myself and my talents that I have to offer. Leah Francis an 8th grader who attended Breakthrough once said, “Breakthrough is made up of different faces, from different places, but all of us are one.”
As we all gathered up to celebrate our amazing accomplishments, what a journey it has been. We have had two successful summers of challenging homework and four great school year session of joy together. Despite the tough times we faced, we all can agree that we all pulled through remarkably. One of my favorite memories of Breakthrough would be the competitions between SLC’s [small learning communities] and the great spirit we all had. Whether it was Olympics, the relay races or City Day, everyone always wanted their SLC to win. Even though SLC 4 is the best, all of the SLCs showed great teamwork and did an amazing job of representing their SLC. This tremendous amount of spirit will always be with me and I will take it to high school. I will deeply miss SLC 4, B-Bois from SJU, and especially the teachers.
Breakthrough has helped me so much both physically and mentally. Each year, when returning to school after a summer at Breakthrough I was able to pass all of my classes. As a result, I scored advanced in both reading and math. Along with growing academically, Breakthrough has also helped me make new friends and to become a leader. I have become well adjusted with all of my SLC mates and most of the kids in other SLCs. We all created a bond that will always be there. This will carry on into next year as we go onto high school. Every one of us will have the joy of being in a totally new environment while having the comfort of seeing familiar faces.
To all my friends-I will miss you very much and hope to see all of you on top of the ladder of success, standing up so tall and smiling as you accomplish your goals in life. As I close off, I would like to thank all the teachers for helping everyone to prepare for school and for always keeping the Breakthrough spirit in us all. I would like to thank all my classmates from being there to keep all of us laughing, and the B-Bois for being the leaders at the SJU sites, stepping up to the plate and leading the 7th graders.
Class of 2014, we are children of the future, and it is what we make for it. I would like to wish everyone luck as we all take another step onto succeeding in life. Always remember children come first. Parents are our partners. Victory is in the classroom and facilitated by strong instructional leaders. Leadership and accountability are the keys to success. It takes the engagement of the entire community to ensure the success of children of the future.
