‘Student success center’ helps hundreds of students graduate

By CHRISTIAN COLÓN, ROB POLANSKY

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    HARTFORD, Connecticut (WFSB) — A center for success has been established at Hartford High Public School.

The school is the first in the district to have what’s called a “student success center,” or SSC.

It’s a special program with more than 200 students who graduated after facing several life obstacles. The center was said to have been so successful that it will be expanding to a second high school in Hartford.

It’s the moment for which family, friends, and students wait. The announcer calls a student’s name, and their hard work pays off. However, some don’t make it to graduation.

“Only like four of us out of like 30 graduated high school,” said Naeshaun Hill, Hartford Public High School Student Success center alumnus.

Hill and his brother Keron Askew said they both feel lucky to have graduated high school, and that if it wasn’t for the SSC, they would have joined their other friends without a diploma.

“I just told my mom I was doing the work, but I really wasn’t. I was saying I was waking up for class, but I really wasn’t,” Askew recalled.

“I lost interest in everything,” Hill said. “My motivation was low. I felt like I couldn’t do it. And it was stressful. Being on the computer. Learn new things. I was so stressed, and Ms. Gomez talked to me and told me I could do it.”

Mary Gomez is a graduation specialist who changed the siblings’ lives.

“What matters to us here at SSC is that you don’t give up on yourselves and you know there is people that really loves you and believe in you, every step of the way,” Gomez said.

That motivation Gomez still gives Hill and Askew is why they told Channel 3 that graduating was possible. Both joined SSC after failing classes, a trend staff said isn’t easy to address.

“A lot of the times the academics are really not the issue,” said Lisa Sepe, academic intervention specialist. “Its other issues that are creating barriers in terms of having them come to school and focus.”

They are barriers several educators at Hartford Public High School try their best to break down. They include language barriers, students losing parents and violence, among other things. The SSC’s goal is if students aren’t passing, they are placed in it to earn enough credits to graduate. At times, a social worker is assigned.

“It’s an immediate connection to the staff,” said Liliana Cuevas, coordinator, SSC. “Knowing that no matter what experience they had, that they have a place here where they can call home in terms of feeling connected and re-engage in and give them the confidence they need to finish high school.”

Cuevas leads the center and said the place is a safe haven for those underage and under credited. So far, about 220 students have gone through the program and more are expected as the program expands to a second high school.

“It was exciting,” Askew said. “It was an exciting moment. It’s been an exciting moment since graduation still going on. Like people are happy that we really graduated because they really didn’t see us graduate.”

Gomez said the program prevents students from dropping out. She also said several of the students end up with scholarships and awards.

As for Askew, he said he is planning to go to college and that his brother is also thinking about it.

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