by Maya Rhodan

NNPA Washington Correspondent

WASHINGTON (NNPA) – When Mecala Holmes was a freshman at Howard University in 2008, she recalls seeing a t-shirt in the school’s book store that read “Howard University, the best four or five years of your life.”

Holmes recalled, “I saw that and thought ‘I’m not going to be here for five years. And then I finished my freshman year and I thought ‘I’m about to finish in five years.”

Holmes, a computer engineering major, decided to take 12 credits every semester to better balance her challenging curriculum with the social opportunities Howard had to offer—from events, to social and service organizations such as Jewels, Inc. a mentoring program she was an active member of throughout college.

Twelve credits per semester, however, wouldn’t help her accrue the 126 she needed to graduate within four years.

Although Holmes had realized she wouldn’t be graduating with the class, watching her friends and peers prepare for their long-awaited commencement without her was emotional for her.

“Last year, I cried on graduation day,” Holmes said. “But if I had graduated last year I wouldn’t have the opportunities I have now. Looking back, I wouldn’t have done it differently.”

CONGRATS GRADS—Pittsburgh Obama’s Class of 2013 at their graduation ceremony at Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall, June 7. (Photo by J.L. Martello)

According to a report recently released by Education Week, the national high school graduation rate reached nearly 75 percent in 2010. For African-American students the rate was lower, with only 62 percent of Blacks earning a diploma, an increase of 13.2 percent in 10 years.

While many across the nation decry the growing number of African-American students dropping out of high school, the Pittsburgh Public School District is seeing an overwhelming number of Black students graduating from its magnet schools.

Students celebrate their recent graduation from the Year Up intensive training program

(BlackNews.com) -- Year Up is a one-year, intensive training program that provides low-income young adults, ages 18-24, with a combination of hands-on skill development, college credits, and corporate internships. Their program emphasizes academic and professional rigor, setting expectations high for quality of work and professional behavior. A strong structure guides students through the steps necessary for achieving success in the classroom and the workplace.

DAMON CARR

Congratulations are in order for this year’s high school graduating class. Graduation from high school is a milestone in everyone’s life. This completes your general education from kindergarten in grade school to senior in high school. All of us who finished High School can recall the joy we experienced walking across the stage to receive our diploma. We remember the genuine friendships we developed and the teachers who taught and encouraged us.