Mount Vernon Class of 2026 Celebrates Success

MOUNT VERNON – Under the evening sky and a brisk breeze at the Stadium at Memorial Field, Mount Vernon High School celebrated its 148th commencement ceremony on Thursday as 196 graduates marked the end of one journey and the beginning of another.

The graduates made their way to the field for a ceremonial walk in front of the reviewing stand, where district leaders, school officials and guests looked on. Among them were Superintendent of Schools Dr. Demario Strickland and Principal Dr. Pauline Pearce.

After a lively performance by a marching drum ensemble, the festivities were kicked off by mistress of ceremonies Peggy Williams, an IB school counselor. Venessa Thompson, president of the Class of 2026, led the Pledge of Allegiance, student Raheem Morgan performed the National Anthem and student Aliana Anderson performed the Black National Anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”

When Venessa later addressed her classmates, she reflected on the courage it took to begin again in a new country, a new school and a new community. She recalled arriving at MVHS from Jamaica in 2024 to begin her junior year. Her family had given her clear advice before she entered those halls: choose company wisely, keep her head on her shoulders and remember that she had not come there to waste time. Before long, she was running for class president.

She thanked the school community for believing in her and giving her the confidence to lead. Through that support, she said, she had the honor of serving on the Superintendent’s Board and helping plan many of the moments that shaped senior year, including Senior Brunch, Commitment Day and the Senior Scavenger Hunt.

“But none of this happened in a vacuum,” she said. “I am the product of a support system that never let me stumble.”
Timothy Jenkins, the incoming president of the Class of 2027, also addressed the graduates and offered a heartfelt tribute from the students who will follow in their footsteps. He praised the Class of 2026 for demonstrating academic strength, social growth and resilience. Although the graduates would no longer walk the halls as students, he said, their influence would remain.

“Your seeds of greatness have been planted,” he told them, “and will find places to spread far and beyond just the scope of our high school.”

Dr. Pearce then addressed the class with the emotion of a leader who had grown alongside them. Looking out at the 196 grads, she described herself as “a proud mama.” She welcomed families, faculty, honored guests and, most importantly, “the remarkable graduates of the new Mount Vernon High School Class of 2026.”

“Today is a celebration,” she said. “A celebration of perseverance, growth and possibilities. A celebration of who you are and who you are becoming.”

The Class of 2026, she said, held a special place in her heart because many of them began their high school journey at the same time she began hers as principal. In many ways, she said, they grew together.

“We stepped into something new together,” Dr. Pearce said. “And together, we committed to bringing something better to Mount Vernon, the new Mount Vernon High School.”

She reflected on the work of rebranding the school, redefining its identity and restoring trust with families and the larger community. She said staff members were also healing and rebuilding what she called “collective efficacy,” the shared belief that together they could overcome anything.

Dr. Pearce said one belief had guided the school’s transformation: words matter. The way people speak about themselves shapes the way they see themselves and how they show up in the world. That belief became the foundation of the new MVHS, where students are building community, cultivating character and inspiring excellence.

She pointed to progress that included reduced suspension rates, increased IB enrollment, expanded CTE programs and higher graduation rates. But beyond the numbers, she said, the full story was found in the resilience, determination and growth of the students themselves.

Dr. Pearce celebrated the achievements within the class, including valedictorian Mizzen Bajramoski, who earned the highest GPA in the class while excelling in the rigorous IB program and captaining the volleyball team.

“Your achievements are not just milestones,” she said. “They are messages. Messages of perseverance, of courage, of excellence and of hope.”

Before closing, Dr. Pearce asked the Class of 2026 to rise and recite the Mount Vernon High School Creed one final time together: “I am a Mount Vernon High School Knight. I am inquisitive, knowledge seeking, compassionate and principled. I am a self-driven agent of change. I am limitless.”

The celebration continued with heartfelt reflections from Salutatorian Jahni Rolland, whose story embodied the courage, determination and gratitude that defined so many members of the Class of 2026. “As I look out at all of you tonight, I see a beautiful picture of different paths,” Jahni said.

Unlike many of his classmates, Jahni arrived in the 10th grade after moving from Antigua. He described entering the large school knowing no one and often finding himself lost in its hallways. Still, he carried with him one guiding principle: treating others with respect.

One of the defining moments of his sophomore year came when he met math teacher Mr. Browne. Discovering they shared Antiguan roots, the two formed an immediate connection. Mr. Browne promised to look out for him, becoming both a mentor and father figure who supported him through every success and challenge during his three years at the school.
Jahni thanked his counselors, teachers, football coaches, classmates and family for helping shape the person he had become. He announced that he will attend The City College of New York this fall to study engineering and pursue a career in the automotive industry.

Addressing his classmates one final time, he reminded them that success is rarely a straight line.

“Your plans will crash, roadblocks will appear, and you will be forced to pivot,” he said. “Stay respectful, take individual accountability, keep your patience and treat every obstacle as an invitation to prove who you are.”

Dr. Strickland followed with remarks that celebrated both the graduates and the school’s legacy. Greeting the crowd with humor, he congratulated everyone who had managed to find parking near Memorial Field before shifting to a more serious message about perception and pride.

“I want to talk to you for a minute about what people say about this school,” he said, as he acknowledged that people often form opinions about MVHS without ever having walked its hallways or met its students.

“They see a headline. They see a label. They don’t see you,” he said. “But I see you.”

He spoke directly to students who overcame obstacles simply to arrive at school each day and praised families who worked tirelessly to support their children’s education.

Mizzen, the valedictorian, then delivered a heartfelt address centered on gratitude, perseverance and the importance of human connection. She began by acknowledging the diversity that defined the graduating class, noting that every student had arrived at commencement through a unique journey.

“Today is not simply a celebration of academic success,” she said. “It is a celebration of perseverance, growth, sacrifice and resilience.”

Like several of her classmates, Mizzen transferred to MVHS after beginning her education elsewhere. She admitted that her first days on campus were overwhelming and that she questioned whether she truly belonged.

Teachers quickly changed that.

She credited Mr. Browne, Ms. Grant and Ms. Ward for believing in her long before she believed in herself. Their encouragement, she said, gave her the confidence to pursue excellence while discovering her place within the school community.

By junior year, she was balancing rigorous International Baccalaureate coursework, two varsity sports, community service and preparing for college.

“Junior year hit me like a truck,” she said, adding that those challenges revealed her greatest blessing — not awards or grades, but the people who continually encouraged her to keep moving forward.

Instead of remembering tests and assignments, Mizzen said she would forever cherish the relationships she built with classmates, teachers, coaches and staff members.

She shared how her nursing assistant clinical experiences profoundly changed her perspective, teaching her that life’s greatest accomplishments ultimately center on caring for others and maintaining meaningful human connections.
“What will matter are the people we love and the people who love us,” she said.

She thanked her athletic coaches for believing in her, calling them some of her greatest supporters throughout high school, and also thanked her friends for making even the most stressful days enjoyable.

Mizzen then turned her attention to her family seated nearby. Fighting back emotion, she asked them to stand before expressing gratitude for every sacrifice they had made on her behalf. “Everything I have accomplished is because of your love, support and sacrifices,” she said.

Looking across the graduates in the maroon caps and gowns, Mizzeni said she saw future nurses, teachers, entrepreneurs, athletes, artists, business owners and leaders whose stories were only beginning. She closed with an inspirational quote from recording artist Bad Bunny, first in Spanish and then in English, urging every graduate to believe in themselves.

The evening’s final address came from keynote speaker Dr. Priscilla Echi, founder and CEO of The Social Butterfly Enterprises, who challenged graduates to define themselves not by circumstances or the opinions of others, but by the words they choose to speak about themselves every day.

Introduced by Ms. Williams as a “powerhouse entrepreneur, award-winning journalist, wellness architect, activist and community leader,” Dr. Echi immediately connected with the audience, congratulating the graduates, their families and the educators who had guided them to this milestone.

Her message centered on two simple but powerful words: “I am.”

“It is not titled ‘I will be.’ It is not titled ‘I hope to be.’ It is not titled ‘One day I might be,’” she said. “It is titled ‘I am.’ Because the most powerful thing you will ever say in your life is what comes after those two words.”

She explained that the words people use to describe themselves shape the lives they ultimately create.

“You don’t wait for life to tell you who you are,” she told the graduates. “You decide. And then you live your life like that is already true.”

Acknowledging that many students had overcome difficult circumstances long before reaching graduation day, Dr. Echi praised their resilience.

“I know most of you didn’t have perfect circumstances,” she said. “Neither did I. Some of you have faced things that have tried to break your confidence, your focus and your belief in yourself. But look at you. You’re still here. You’re still standing, and you’ve actually made it.”

As graduates prepared to enter adulthood, she cautioned them that the world would attempt to place labels and limitations on them. “This world is going to try to tell you what they think is realistic,” she said. “It’s going to try to shrink your vision down to something that makes other people feel safe and comfortable.”

Before concluding, Dr. Echi invited the entire stadium to join together in repeating the words “I am” three times, asking each graduate to silently finish the sentence in their own heart. “Whatever you have said after those two words is the life you are about to create,” she said. “Choose it carefully, speak it boldly and live every single day to the fullest.”

As the keynote address concluded, the ceremony reached its defining moment.

Dr. Pearce formally presented the 196 members of the Class of 2026 to the superintendent, certifying that each student had successfully completed all academic requirements.