Bonnie Brae Alumnus Wendell: An Inspiration for the Class of 2019

One of the highlights of Bonnie Brae's graduation ceremony each year is the return of alumni who are using what they learned while at Bonnie Brae to successfully forge their own paths and move forward in pursuit of their dreams and aspirations. One young alumni who joined us at this year's event was Wendell, who recently graduated high school and shared the following with this year's Bonnie Brae students:

"My name is Wendell and I am a former student here at Bonnie Brae School and a 2019 high school graduate.

I know, right? We only arrived here four short years ago, and now it is already time to leave. It seems like only yesterday that we were trying to  figure out where our next class was, looking clueless to all upperclassmen.  As nervous as I am standing here today I am also proud to be sharing my experiences with you all.

 First of all, I would like to congratulate all of the students here for  graduating and moving on to the next chapter in your lives.

Every end has a new beginning. For all of you here today, understand that you have made it from all of the ups and downs from your years in high school. Be proud, keep your head high and understand that the road does not end here. 

Don’t settle for less and continue to beat all the odds that are stacked against you. When I was removed from my household at the age of 13 it was not an easy transition for me. Many times I made steps to place myself in bad situations. Leaving from program to program became tiring and I knew that I had to do better. 

Coming to Bonnie Brae was scary for me. I was shocked by how much the staff cared for me and no matter how much I gave them a hard time they never gave up on me. Playing basketball here also gave me motivation to use my talents as a way to cope with my problems. When I was awarded the opportunity to be successfully discharged from Bonnie Brae I knew what I had to do to continue on my ride to success.

Still even then I was doubted, many said I would be just like how I was when discharged from the other programs, but this time I was determined to be successful. I moved back to my hometown also played basketball for my high school. I recently graduated and I was also granted a full scholarship to play college basketball at a college in Ohio.

With all that being said we may not have the power to inspire the entire world to strive for success, but we do have the power to try and achieve it ourselves. My challenge to each of you is to do all that you can to reach your full potential. The future is truly in our hands, so lets make the most of it."

We are very grateful to Wendell for inspiring our students and we congratulate and wish him the very best in of luck in college!

The journey to graduation is often challenging for Bonnie Brae students, and our educational staff works incredibly hard to ensure that each young man who is eligible to graduate high school does. Congratulations to the Class of 2019, and the staff who helped them to achieve this significant milestone.