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Dr. Juan Andrade, USHLI President, was the commencement speaker at Lincoln West High School in Cleveland on June 6. Of the 178 graduates, 78% had received acceptance letters from 4-year academic institutions and the majority of the remaining 22% have indicated they will attend vocational and technical schools or join the military. USHLI held two Student Leadership Series events at Lincoln West during the 2011/2012 school year, one of which included a Career and College Recruitment Fair. The Principal at Lincoln West, Dr. Irene Javier, led the commencement exercise, and the CEO of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, Mr. Eric Gordon, also addressed the graduates and their families.
Dr. Andrade reminded the students that by 2018, in just six years, the experts estimate that 62% of all jobs will require some level of college education, and reminded the students that graduation not only means commencement (a beginning). It also means that they are the kind of people who finish what they start; people who can be given something to study and learn it; people who can be given an assignment and complete it; people who can be given a test and pass it. Graduation is a character quality. He strongly urged the students to get all the education they will need to be happy in life and to give back to the community. Finally, he advised the students to join the struggle for social justice in America and to not show up at the pearly gates of heaven with no scars on their bodies because they never found anything worth fighting for in life. The graduates and their families responded with a standing ovation.
Dr. Andrade has earned five college degrees, received five honorary doctorate and two honorary associate degrees, and has been recognized as a distinguished alumnus by three universities. He is also the 4th Latino in history to be decorated by both the government of the United States and the government of Mexico. He is the President and a Co-founder of USHLI.
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