Tom's kid graduated

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Lisa writes: After three years of weekly tutoring, Tom's tutee, Fiacre, graduated from high school today. Fiacre and his family came to Virginia from the Central African Republic through a refugee program in 2006. At the same time, Tom had volunteered with a local program to tutor a high school student once a week. We went out to his school for the graduation ceremony today. It was the usual: excited teenagers and their families, trapped in a gymnasium with slightly long-winded speakers, and the occasional rogue beach ball bouncing through the crowd.

Fiacre is the oldest of four, soon to be five, kids. His mom is expecting a baby boy in August. I think Fiacre will be a good example to his little siblings.
Tom writes: I was really surprised at how moving it was when all the graduating seniors starting filing in. There was a palpable sense of excitement in the air, a mix of joy and tears. Or maybe that was just me. As I watched the "kids" animated expressions, I kept going back to a conversation I had with Fiacre just yesterday as he gave me the tickets we would need to get into the event. He was telling me that all of a sudden he was realizing that he had a lot of hard choices to make: choices about school, long term career planning, short term job opportunities, etc. Up until now he had really been looking forward to graduating, but now he was not so sure about it - life was going to get a lot harder, as he saw it. Transitions.
So for Fiacre: You are going to do great. You have a good sense of who you are and a contagious enthusiasm for life. These will carry you far. Congratulations.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Tom - What an impact you have made. Truly, generations to come will benefit from the time and knowledge you have shared and your kindess will never be forgotten - especially by loving parents. Great job! Love, Mom Robbins
2:01 AM
Tamary said…
Congratulations to Fiacre and Tom! What a great thing to help someone in a way that will improve the rest of their life.
10:13 AM
Anonymous said…
Tom, you're really tall! Congratulations Fiacre! Oh, and Tom.
1:10 AM
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