OHS graduates the Class of 2018

WEST ORANGE, NJ — Graduation inspired the members of the Orange High School Class of 2018 to use their caps as canvasses at their commencement ceremony at the Richard Codey Arena in West Orange on Wednesday, June 20.

For instance, Jenny Rodriguez who had the words, “Nevertheless, she persisted” written on her cap.

“It means that, as a woman, I can persist and become many, many things in life,” said Rodriguez on Wednesday, June 20. She rose above 15,000 other applicants to win a National Honor Society scholarship that she will use to fund her college education at American University in Washington, D.C., in the fall.

And then there was Latif Price, whose cap has his full name on it, along with a verse from the Bibles: “For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” Price had his daughter, E-Layla, with him as well as his girlfriend, Imani, his mother, Latifa, and his friend Fernando Cardoza, a fellow OHS Class of 2018 member, with him on graduation day.

“I’m so happy for him. He’s my ‘Junior’ and I’m so excited for him,” Price’s mother said at the event. “The future holds a job and school next spring for him.”

Price said the future is now and he was proud to be graduating from high school alongside Cardoza and the rest of the OHS Class of 2018.

“It feels good,” said Latif on Wednesday, June 20. “I feel accomplished.”

Cardoza said he felt the same way because graduating from high school is just the beginning. He said it was not bittersweet at all because graduation will not be the end of his friendships.

“I don’t think this is the end of our friendship,” said Cardoza on Wednesday, June 20. “We’ve been together for a long time, so I feel like it’s going to last for a long time, too.”

Otherwise, Cardoza said he was swept up in emotions, much as everyone else seemed to be.

“I’m speechless,” said Cardoza, who was born in El Salvador and came to the United States with his family as a child. “I made it. I wasn’t born in this country and I made it in another country with another language and I’m just proud of myself. After this, I’m going to Drew University and I’m going to major in science and then I’m going to medical school and I’m going to be a radiation oncologist. I want to fight cancer. You’re talking to a future doctor.”

Cardoza’s mother, Dora Rivera, said she was very happy her son was graduating from high school. Her son had a few parting words for his fellow OHS Class of 2018 members.

“You always have to look forward and don’t let people tell you where you are or where you’re going, because, at the end of the day, you’re the one who makes the choices and you will be the one who’s in the future,” Cardoza said.

Maria Batzibal Mindez also used her cap to make a statement, thanking her family members for their love and support throughout her life, as it read, in Spanish, “Para mi Padre y Hermana que Cruzaron Fronteras para que yo este aqui,” meaning “For my father and sister, who crossed the border to get me here.”

Nadjulia Constant, the OHS Class of 2018 valedictorian, compared the senior class to a tornado, the symbol of the school, saying that, like a tornado, students can develop themselves into a force that will allow them to create a foundation that cannot be shaken, that will allow them to become “soaring.”

Constant said the OHS Class of 2018 is destined to be prosperous and she also quoted a verse from the Bible in her valedictory speech. She said her class could leave their old life behind and start a new life after graduation.

Constant also thanked her mother and acknowledged her family, also thanking her teachers Ms. Jackson and Ms. Thomas.

Orange North Ward Councilwoman Tency Eason and at large Councilman Chris Jackson were also in attendance and had a message for the graduates.

“Each year, it gets better and better. This year, I was happy to witness our ROTC, for the first time, graduating,” said Eason on Wednesday, June 20. “Keep on doing the good work and working toward the scholarships, which means, if you get scholarships, no student loans. So keep working and raising the bar high.”

Jackson agreed with Constant about the strength and power that comes from being an OHS Tornado.

“It was so exciting and these students are at such a high level. Orange High School is putting out some great young men and women and it was exciting to see them take this step and move forward in their lives. It was a really exciting event,” said Jackson on Wednesday, June 20. “Keep on doing it the Orange way. Tornadoes are powerful and you are carrying that power with you and in you, no matter where you go.”

  Codey Arena, Orange High School