Adeline Cariaga, a Beaufort County Ed Tech Center graduate, gave a speech to family and friends explaining the center’s purpose on June 7 at the school’s graduation ceremonies.

Cariaga was one of 35 graduates to receive diplomas at the graduation.

The Beaufort County Ed Tech Center serves the entire Beaufort County Schools district. The school is designed to serve students in grades six through 12. Some students are assigned to the school, but Cariaga explained, others are there by choice, simply as a part of their journey to graduation.

Cariaga explained how she and her classmates have faced lots of obstacles and trials to get to graduation day.

“The class of 2014 is made up of overcomers and determined individuals,” Cariaga said in the speech. “Some of us were told, at some point in our lives that we should just give up. Some of us were told that graduation was not in our future. Despite all that, we are here today. We are here because we were given a second chance when we became students at the Ed Tech Center.”

In the speech, Cariaga went on to explain how the faculty and staff at the school became like family to the students and how they were there for students when others counted them out, including when the students wanted to give up on themselves.

“Believe it or not, many people see Ed Tech as a dumping grounds for ‘bad kids’,” Cariaga said. “I knew that this could not be true, because I am not a bad kid. Instead, what I discovered was that Ed Tech is a school where teachers see past what we might look like on the outside.”

Many students at the school are former dropouts or teenage parents, but the teachers at Ed Tech saw the potential in the students, Cariaga said. She also thanked family and friends for standing beside the students throughout their journey.

“For that, we are grateful,” Cariaga said.

Graduation is a new chapter in our lives, Cariaga said. Some students will go to college, some will join the military and some will go straight into the workforce, but no matter the chosen path, stay focused, stay positive and don’t sweat the small stuff.

To view the entire speech by Adeline Cariaga, visit www.thewashingtondailynews.com.