Virtual Graduations
at The Help Group in 2020
The Help Group congratulates all of its 2020 graduates! This June, Help Group administrators, faculty, staff and families gathered virtually to mark the accomplishments of 143 High School graduates. Students donned caps and gowns at home while proud family members snapped screen shots of this exciting occasion.
“High school graduation is a celebration of a significant accomplishment and a rite of passage, the virtual celebrations of this year’s graduation ceremonies in no way diminishes the luster of these students’ achievements,” said Dr. Jason Bolton, Vice President of Community Partnerships and Admissions. “In fact, it is a testimony to the flexibility and grit of each of this year’s graduates.”
The Help Group is grateful for all of the efforts of everyone involved that helped to make this day such a memorable one for our graduates. We are very proud of you graduates and we celebrate all of your potential!
Here are just a few High School graduate profiles:
Summit View High School
Shay Eadie transferred to Summit View West in high school. She has earned multiple academic honors in her time with us and has been an active member of the Summit View West community. She served as an elementary school teaching assistant and was a wonderful role model for our youngest students. Shay is a talented ballet dancer and for many years was a member of Debbie Allen’s Dance Studio. Shay was the student advisor of Summit View West’s first-ever Black Student Union. Shay was a participant in Summit View West’s Student Council and participated in our largest community service effort, Super Saturday. She has a ‘heart of gold’; shows maturity beyond her years and is adored by all. She will be attending Hampton University in the fall.
Summit View High School
Joseph Glickman, Summit View West –Joseph transferred from VG to Summit View West in middle school. Joseph has received academic honors all four years, and was recognized for his excellence in the subject of conversational Spanish. Joseph is a four-year letterman having played two years of basketball and four years of both baseball and cross country. He was the captain of both baseball and cross-country his senior year. In 9th grade, he earned rookie of the year as well as most dependable. In 10th grade, he earned second team all-league honors for baseball. In 11th grade, he received Summit View West’s Leader of the Pack Award for Cross Country. As a senior, he was recognized for his leadership during cross-country. Joseph is very active with community service at both Summit View West and in his local community. He is well-respected by his classmates and teachers and is an all-around wonderful young man. Joseph will be attending West Los Angeles College in the fall with the hope of transferring to Cal Lutheran University.
Bridgeport High School
Bryan Miguel has been a student at The Help Group since 2006. During his time at the Bridgeport High School, Bryan has grown significantly in all areas. He is fun loving, energetic, social with his peers and adults, and always ready to engage in a new learning activity or social event. Bryan looks for every opportunity to be a good friend and helper to his classmates and teachers, and he is the first to demonstrate compassion when someone is sad. Bryan exhibits this same superstar attitude when his class is out in the community, showing kindness, courtesy, and a willingness to help. Bryan has so successfully achieved so many of the goals of The Help Group’s Daily Living Skills and Community Based Instruction programs that he was recently named the Community Star for the Bridgeport West School Class of 2020!
Bryan is an outstanding example of limitless potential. With a community of caring teachers, therapists and administrators working together with the students and family, young people like Bryan and his friends can reach for the stars – and grab many of them! Bryan will be transitioning to The Help Group’s Vocational Education Center West in Culver City this fall.
Village Glen High School
Sam Porter is a committed, compassionate, and driven young man, and is a proud member of Village Glen High School’s graduating class of 2020. Although Sam is an exemplary student with a GPA well above 4.0, his motivation is not praise or recognition. Sam simply wants to be a better student, friend, and person. After talking with his teacher about the benefits of volunteer work, Sam volunteered for The Help Group’s community fair without even telling anyone. With a commendable work ethic, he quietly perseveres and does everything he can to be the best version of himself. Sam competed on the VGHS Academic Decathlon team, winning an award for public speaking. Sam consistently sought out high school course work that challenged him and required substantial commitment and dedication. With initiative and determination, Sam was honored to be this year’s class Valedictorian. He will be attending the University of California, Merced in the fall.
Village Glen High School
Dasja Thomas is graduating in January 2021 with a High School Diploma—something that she did not always think would be possible. She came to the Help Group in February of 2017. She acknowledges coming onto campus thinking that Village Glen West High School would be the same as prior schools where she felt misunderstood, dismissed, and thought that no one believed in her. Three years later, she says that this could not be further from the truth. At Village Glen West, she found a network of friends and caring staff who believe in her, and have continued to support her through the years. Dasja has transformed from a shy and wary young girl into a confident and outspoken young woman who today holds the third highest GPA in her high school program. She readily mentors new incoming students, and was the feature in a statewide Workability magazine for her outstanding work ethic. Dasja aspires to become a songwriter and actor, and to reach others through her positive words and actions.