On May 30, we held graduation for the 2017-2018 CCA cohort at the Penn Museum.

The day began with a speech by two of our graduating members, Kaitlin and Richard.

Our members elected them to speak on behalf of the group. Kaitlin and Richard shared many sentiments, but their message to the crowd was centered on three topics: the strength and necessity of their team connections, that change will be constant throughout life, and that you CAN make a difference! They emphasized these themes by detailing the personal and professional transformations they experienced this year. Through this, Kaitlin and Richard highlighted that they learned how to be vulnerable and ask for help, which allowed them to be better teammates to one another.

They shared stories of both hardships and successes, personally and with their students. Most poignant were the stories about trust built with students, enabling the students to feel confident in themselves and their abilities.

After an impactful speech, awards were presented to members who gained the most hours throughout the year, supported the most students through completion of the Promise Corps Program, and those who embodied the values of the Promise Corps Program in their service.

We then had one of our members from the 2016-2017 cohort, Francesca, lead our members in the AmeriCorps pledge. Following this pledge, we presented each of our CCAs with a graduation certificate.

We left some time for photos, and then headed out to the courtyard to enjoy each other’s company while snacking on refreshments. It was a beautiful time for families, friends, and staff from partner organizations to relish in the success of the CCAs, as they celebrated not only the completion of their 1700 hours of service, but the lasting impact they’ve left on their students.

– Kerry DiNardo, Senior Site Supervisor