While every graduation is special for the participants who walk and the families who watch, for the graduates of the Beaufort County Ed Tech Center, graduation is especially meaningful. For many of the school’s students, graduation represents a second chance after overcoming profound obstacles.

On Saturday, friends and loved ones gathered in the auditorium at Beaufort County Community College to celebrate the accomplishments of the 38 Ed Tech students in the Class of 2018.

Following a welcome from principal Betty Jane Green, Quayshun Oden led the class in the Pledge of Allegiance. BCS Superintendent Dr. Don Phipps delivered opening remarks and Tyshawn Jennings offered the invocation.

The student address was delivered by Ishmeria Peele, a young lady who attested to the impact Ed Tech has had on her life.

“If you are graduating from Ed Tech today, you have come a long way,” Peele told her classmates. “We all have shown great effort to make it this far and we have all faced a great deal of challenges and adversity this year. But together, we worked to overcome it. A great deal of respect is held for the teachers who helped push us to the finish line.”

The Principal’s Award, bestowed on the senior who has had the greatest academic average during their time at Ed Tech, was awarded to Dyshera Winfield-Morris. Tyshawn Jennings and Stephanie Potter were recognized as winners of the Hiram Lodge Scholarship, an award for seniors who have been accepted into an institution of higher learning.

The commencement address was delivered by Chief District Court Judge Regina Parker, who gave graduates advice for moving forward in life.

“Today is a new day,” Parker told the graduates. “Don’t let the mistakes of yesterday shape your tomorrow. You cant start the next chapter of your life if you keep re-reading the last one.”

A slideshow looking back on the past year offered an opportunity to reflect on fond memories before the awarding of diplomas. After the students had walked across the stage, Ed Tech teacher Amy Bennett invited the class to turn their tassels and walk from the ceremony as high school graduates.