On a perfect summer evening, family and friends gathered to honor 20 young adults who’d dropped out of high school but persevered to earn New Jersey high school diplomas. As “Pomp and Circumstance” played over large speakers, the NewBridge Jobs Plus Class of 2021, dressed in caps and gowns, crossed the well-groomed grounds of Morristown-Beard School to applause.
“I grew up thinking I was stupid,” 18-year-old Izzy of Mendham said from the podium. NewBridge Jobs Plus understood “my learning disability doesn’t make me stupid, it makes me different. At NewBridge, I felt like being different wasn’t so different.”
Class of 2021
The Class of 2021 hailed from Dover, Florham Park, Hopatcong, Lincoln Park, Mendham, Morris Plains, Morristown, Mount Olive, Parsippany, Rockaway, and Roxbury.
NewBridge Jobs Plus is the longest-running alternative education program in Morris County and has helped well over 1,000 young adults earn their high school diplomas and prepare for college, trade schools and careers since 1983. The program, located at the NewBridge Parsippany Center, is free to young adults living in Morris, Sussex and Warren counties, and transportation is provided to Morris County residents.
Keynote Address by NewBridge Jobs Plus Alumna
The graduates heard from Charlie Sage Weiner, who started a fitness company and a life coaching business since graduating from the program in 2018. Wiener urged the Class of 2021 to “believe anything is possible” and trust in themselves. The NewBridge staff “taught me I could do that,” she said.
“You did it! You’re awesome. I believe in you guys!” Charlie enthused.
Class of 2021 Awards
- Naomi with NewBridge Jobs Plus Career Placement Coordinator Irene Candelaria.
Naomi, who last June helped organize a Black Lives Matter rally and march in Pequannock, recited an inspirational poem she’d written. Naomi received the $1,000 Alumni Appreciation Scholarship Award, which will help her pay for her degree at the County College of Morris.
The 19-year-old Lincoln Park resident intends to transfer to a university after a year to earn a degree in literature, and eventually earn a master’s degree in psychology. Her goal is to open a chain of bookstores and work in child therapy, she said.
Carlos described how quickly he felt accepted at NewBridge Jobs Plus after leaving Mount Olive High School. “They did everything they could to help us succeed,” he said.
Briana received the $1,000 James Ryan Memorial Scholarship Award, presented by NewBridge Services Board of Trustees President Debbie King. The scholarship was created in honor of King’s father, one of NewBridge’s founders. Briana is pursuing a nursing career and will attend CCM in the fall.
Lilly of Morristown received the Perseverance Award, while Morristown resident Daniel and Sean of Parsippany were named Associates of the Year.
Rebounding After Pandemic
Izzy, who will study biology at CCM plans and become a forensic pathologist. received the $1,000 Lakeland Bank Scholarship Award. She was already struggling with mental health problems when the COVID-19 pandemic hit during her junior year of high school. “That was it for me,” she said.
A friend who had graduated from NewBridge Jobs Plus urged Izzy to enroll. “When I started, I hated myself but pretended to love myself,” she said. “They helped me see things in a more logical way when I was being too emotional. Now I’m excited to love myself as I am.”
Check out NewBridge Services’ Facebook page to see lots of graduation photos.
About NewBridge
NewBridge Services, a 501c(3) nonprofit, is a leading provider of counseling services, housing and educational programs in northern New Jersey, helping thousands of children, adults and seniors each year. NewBridge treats mental illnesses and addictions; teaches skills for coping with stress, grief and challenging relationships; helps children who have been abused and neglected — and their families — heal; builds and manages affordable housing; offers school-based programs that teach children and adolescents resiliency skills for healthy emotional development; helps young adults succeed in their education and prepare for careers; and supports seniors so they can remain independent. Throughout its 58-year history, NewBridge has remained true to its mission of bringing balance to people’s lives by tracking shifts in communities’ needs and providing innovative, effective programs to meet them.
