Good morning, East River Academy. Let’s hear it for the class of 2026 — congratulations graduates! I want to begin by thanking Commissioner Stanley Richards, Chancellor Kamar Samuels, Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, East River Academy Principal Tonya Threadgill, East River Academy Superintendent Glenda Esperance and so many dedicated teachers and staff for all you have done to help these graduates make it to this day. These moments of celebration arrive too rarely. And it is all the more rare to mark such a meaningful accomplishment while incarcerated.
Thank you to the parents, brothers, sisters, partners and friends here today. Your steadfast love and support has given our graduates the strength they needed even in the hardest, loneliest moments — the times where it felt like this day would never come. And for those who may not have friends and family present: you are not alone today. You are surrounded by a community that believes in your success. Your teachers, your classmates, the person sitting next to you and myself. So many here are eager to provide that same love and support, to celebrate your hard work and to join you as you mark this milestone.
For many high school students in New York City, each day has an expected rhythm. They take the bus to school, go to class, head home, eat dinner, do their homework and go to bed. It is a comfortable routine — a straight line. A path that has been traveled by many before. I know those graduating here today have not had that same privilege. Your journey to today has been anything but straightforward. Many of you arrived on Rikers in a cloud of uncertainty and despair. The future felt very grim indeed. And yet you did not surrender to that alienation. You were never overcome by the adversity that lay before you.
Instead, you chose to continue moving forward. You chose to pursue your education — to stick with it even on your lowest days. And you chose to do so while living in one of the harshest environments imaginable. You did not make these choices because it was expected of you. Nor because it was the logical next step. You did it because you expected it of yourself.
When I think of that resilience and determination, I think of graduates like Elijah Smith. After seeing an ABC news segment on last years’ graduation ceremony, he told his teachers that he was determined to not only graduate, but to become the student speaker of his graduating class. Since then, Elijah has become an inspiration for his fellow classmates — pushing both himself and his peers to strive for more. He became a member of the Student Leadership Council and advocated directly to Chancellor Samuels for a paid student tutoring program — because he cares just as much about his classmates’ success as he cares about his own. Today, Elijah is graduating with his GED and plans to pursue a career as an EMT. And we will have the privilege of hearing from him shortly as this year’s student speaker.
I think too of Ivan Maldonado’s impressive trajectory. Ivan struggled at first with focus and attendance but quickly found his footing in class. Today, he graduates as this year’s Salutatorian with not only the second highest scores on the GED, but as the Spirit Category Superintendent Award winner for District 79. We wish him all the best as he continues to learn more, to aim ever higher in college and beyond. Today’s graduating class is made up of 57 people — more than 40 of whom are with us today. Each of you have a story as worthy of being told as Elijah and Ivan’s — one full of triumphs and setbacks — that reflects your strength and resolve.
I hope each of you feel the pride and excitement of this moment. Staying focused and committed to your studies while incarcerated is no small feat. It is an achievement that most outside of your circumstances would struggle to match. And yet, I know that for many of you, today’s celebration is colored by being here, on Rikers Island. When you look out of your windows, you see a city that seems impossibly far away. You watch as it spins through its seasons — as millions of New Yorkers roll through their days — while you remain on the edges, on the outside looking in. Even despite today’s momentous achievement, you may at times still feel that way —like the world is moving without you. It may feel like you are too far behind to even try.
I want you to know that nothing could be further from the truth. If today is proof of anything, it is that you have the power to move your life forward even when everything feels like it is pulling you backwards. And no matter what is waiting for you on the other side of your degree — be it college or a career — there will always be a place for you in New York City. Sometimes I like to think of our city — and even life itself — as a merry-go-round. It contains both disappointment and joy, highs and lows. And it never stops moving. But there is always a seat open for anyone who wants to climb on board. By entering this program — by choosing to hope, by choosing possibility over doubt — you have already chosen to climb on board. Our city will be all the better for it.
I will close with this. The author Abdulrazak Gurnah once wrote, “I have time on my hands, I am in the hands of time, so I might as well account for myself.” This is a class that has accomplished something few others can boast of: you have accounted for yourselves. It is a privilege to witness the culmination of your work — to be able to celebrate that accomplishment with you today. So once again, congratulations to the class of 2026. You made it.
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