Twenty-four of the 33 graduating students at Cristo Rey Brooklyn H.S. are first-generation college attendees.

The school held its third commencement ceremony June 13, the first in the Flatbush building. Family, friends, board members, Corporate Work Study Program supervisors, faculty and staff gathered together to celebrate the graduates, who achieved a 100-percent college acceptance rate, receiving over 400 acceptances to more than 125 colleges with over a cumulative $11 million earned in scholarships and grants.

The ceremony featured speeches by Shanika Foster, valedictorian, and commencement speaker, Bill Sorenson, chief financial officer of Acquia and a Brooklyn native.

Foster reminded her peers that they are part of something bigger: “We are not just 33 students graduating from high school; we are part of a larger generation that’s moving forward, pushing the envelope, taking risks and welcoming challenges. We have a boldness that I genuinely believe will take us very far.”

St. Patrick Catholic Academy held its graduation ceremony inside St. Patrick Church, Bay Ridge, June 13.

Prior to receiving their awards and diplomas, the graduates celebrated Mass with their families, teachers and St. Patrick Principal Andrea D’Emic. The Mass was led by Msgr. Michael Hardiman, pastor. Above, students are seen reading the prayer of the faithful.

Salutatorian Tiana Eladem and valedictorian Jessica Hui each shared memories of their time at St. Patrick in their addresses and thanked the teachers who guided them along the way. Joseph Langley, chairman of the board of directors of St. Patrick Catholic Academy, presented the Mary Lou Langley Essay Scholarship Award to Louis DeSalvatore. The award is named for Langley’s late sister Mary Lou, who perished in the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.