The Berkeley High School library hosted the Bridge Program\u2019s class of 2026 graduation ceremony on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, honoring Cohort 13, one of the program\u2019s largest graduating classes. Bringing together students, teachers, counselors, and family members for an evening that included dinner, graduate speeches, and a sash ceremony highlighting each student\u2019s plans after high school. During the ceremony, the close-knit community celebrated four years of perseverance and the graduating class\u2019 next steps beyond high school.<\/p>\n
The Bridge Program supports low-income students and first-generation college students of color in their transition from BHS to college. Counselor Jasdeep Malhi opened the night by speaking about what the program represents. \u201cWe are celebrating the strength in the community to empower and uplift all of you, guiding you toward your complete potential as you take these next steps into the world,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Several graduates spoke about how the program shaped their high school experience. \u201cWhen I first joined Bridge, I didn\u2019t know what to expect,\u201d Charlize Villamizar said. \u201cIt became a place I looked forward to going to every day,\u201d Villamizar said. Noelia Marin Ramos reflected on the academic support she received, stating, \u201cThere were countless moments where I felt unsure about myself and was overwhelmed by academics. Throughout everything, Bridge provided me with resources and opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n
Others spoke about personal challenges they faced. \u201cThis year has been the hardest year of my life,\u201d Juelz Grimes said. \u201cWhen I needed people the most, they were the ones who believed in me and reminded me of my potential. (Bridge) taught not to let my struggles determine my future,\u201d Grimes said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The ceremony closed with the sash portion of the evening, where graduates were individually recognized alongside photos and information about their next steps after BHS. Scholarships were also presented to students who embodied the Bridge Program\u2019s values. Graduating BHS senior Josue Sotelo Garcia and his parents handed out a special scholarship dedicated to Josue\u2019s older brothers, Jazy and Angel, former Bridge students who were lost to gun violence in 2023.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cohort 13\u2019s main counselor, Jennifer Hammond, encouraged graduates as they move forward. \u201cIf you have a dream, don\u2019t let anyone tell you you can\u2019t attain it,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Berkeley High School library hosted the Bridge Program\u2019s class of 2026 graduation ceremony on Tuesday, May 12,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":349191,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[143,145,144],"class_list":["post-349190","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-oakland","tag-oakland","tag-oakland-headlines","tag-oakland-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/349190","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=349190"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/349190\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/349191"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=349190"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=349190"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=349190"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}