Graduates from New Schools at Carver garner more than $20 million in scholarships

After four years of hard work, challenges and excitement, 305 seniors at the New Schools at Carver experienced the pomp and circumstance of graduation Saturday afternoon at the Atlanta Civic Center, the long-time venue for Atlanta Public Schools graduations.

Valedictorians representing each of the four schools that make up the New Schools at Carver – Albert James Seymor, Carver School of the Arts; Ruqiyah Mukarram, Carver School of Health Sciences and Research, Shariff Lee-Brown, Carver Early College and Kingsley Iyawe, Carver School of Technology– addressed the audience, giving advice to their peers, sharing poignant messages for the audience to ponder and stories of persistence and perseverance.

“We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?” asked the valedictorian of Carver School of Technology, Kingsley Iyawe.  Kingsley told the audience that during his mother’s terminal illness,
he promised her that he would graduate at the top of his senior class. He is the first male in the history of Carver School of Technology to be named valedictorian.

Graduates at the New Schools at Carver included Brumley GRAD Scholars, Posse Scholars and members of the National Honor Society.

Every small school on the Carver campus boasted a Gates Millennium Scholar.

The 305 graduates earned a combined total of more than $20 million in scholarships.

Watch the commencement exercises here:  http://new.livestream.com/accounts/7427971/events/3013263