Motivational speaker and educator Adolph Brown eschewed what he called political correctness when addressing Hampton City Schools’ rising sophomores Wednesday morning.
Instead, he told the Class of 2022 what he said their teachers and administrators might be thinking but not saying: don’t smoke weed, pull up your pants, don’t make mistakes when it comes to sexual partners.
Brown, a Virginia native who holds multiple degrees from the College of William and Mary, gave the keynote of the Commitment to Graduate Ceremony for this year’s freshmen.
He used his experience of homelessness and perseverance to relate to the approximately 1,400 students gathered at the Hampton Coliseum, the same venue where they will graduate in June 2022.
He told them that to reach that stage and receive a diploma in three-and-a-half years, they need to have a positive outcome, read a lot and work hard.
“They say good times come to those who wait,” Brown said. “That’s not true. Good things come to those who work. You got it?”
The class will be the second to go through all four years of the Academies of Hampton, an endeavor that is transforming the city’s four high schools into 16 small learning communities focused around a specific career or academic goal.
The ceremony also saw students pledging to live up to the ideals of a Hampton graduate — obtaining college-ready PSAT scores, professional certifications or college credits, and creating a 10-year plan, among others.
“I understand that my education is very important to my future and will help me become a successful and productive person,” they read aloud in unison. “My goal is to graduate from high school with a purpose, a plan and ready for postsecondary education and a career.”
Faculty and staff similarly pledged to support students’ “social, emotional and intellectual growth.” Parents promised to monitor their children’s academic growth, and the community committed to support students in their quest to become “dedicated and invested” citizens.
“Always remember there are no shortcuts to success,” Superintendent Jeffery Smith told the students. “Indeed you are destined for greatness, and so I encourage you to keep your head in the game. Listen, completing high school college, career and life ready is not an option. It is an absolute must in order for you to reach your fullest potential.”
