CINCINNATI (WXIX) – Nearly 100 Hamilton County foster children were celebrated Thursday for earning their high school diplomas, and this year was a record breaker. <\/p>\n
Job and Family Services celebrated the agency\u2019s largest-ever class and honored the teens in foster care who earned their diplomas.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re just really proud of them, you know, overcoming the odds and really using all of the things they\u2019ve been through as strengths,\u201d Anastacia Isaacs, an education specialist, said.<\/p>\n
The agency has held this event for 27 years.<\/p>\n
\u201cI got my diploma, I started jumping up and down and screaming,\u201d Tamarius Berry, a graduate, said.<\/p>\n
And the team behind them said the numbers show it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have the highest rate of graduation this year. In the 90s, the national average was only 70. The Ohio average is 60, so it\u2019s a pretty big deal,\u201d Isaacs said.<\/p>\n
Isaacs said it takes the full support of the education specialist, caseworkers and caregivers to stay on top of meetings, grades and the day-to-day motivation.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe attend all of their school meetings, we meet with them when they need a little bit of motivation about getting to class or getting their work done and we make sure they have everything they need,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The 16-year-old Berry is one of more than ten teens early graduates.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t think I would graduate, honestly, cause, like, my credits were low and I was kinda struggling,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Now he\u2019s already looking ahead toward attending the University of Cincinnati. <\/p>\n
\u201cFirst, do an undergrad in psychology and either do a master\u2019s in mental health counseling or a PhD in clinical psychology. One of those,\u201d Berry said.<\/p>\n
And his mom said watching him push through and finish early still doesn\u2019t feel real.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was like this year, ima get this done ima get some extra classes so I can finish early, and I was like \u2018OK,\u2019 but when he did it, I was shocked myself, so yeah, I\u2019m so proud of him,\u201d Tamara Berry, Tamarius\u2019s mother, said.<\/p>\n
For the grads, Thursday was more than just a ceremony; it was proof they can rewrite their story.<\/p>\n
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