By hosting their own graduation ceremony, Willamette Academy leaders were able to send off the seniors in a special way and, most important, let them know how proud everyone feels about them reaching this accomplishment.

Friends and family members, some toting celebratory balloons, gathered in Hudson Hall for the occasion. Red programs listed the names of the 21 graduates, scholarships they received and the names of the colleges where all but three of them are heading in the fall — Portland State University, Chemeketa Community College, Oregon State University, Linfield College, Portland Community College, Western Oregon University and, of course, Willamette.

Lupe Jeronimo addressed the group, recalling some of the memories they shared during their years with the academy. “My classmates became my brothers and sisters, and my teachers became like my parents,” he said. “No matter where our separate paths take us, we’ll always be the Willamette Academy Class of 2007.”

Although the academy is saying goodbye to these students, they will not be forgotten. As interim Executive Director Will Bragg told them, “I know you will be doing great things. I have no doubt about that. We just hope that you guys fulfill your dreams.”

One word kept coming to my mind as we talked: perseverance. As I noted previously in this blog, Lupe had some tough family issues to overcome, including uncles involved with gangs. But Lupe is highly involved in activities in school, is poised to graduate and hopes to become the first in his family to obtain a college degree. He received conditional admission to Willamette, meaning he has to prove himself at another school for a year before he can attend this university. But he pushed through that, too — vowing to do well at Western Oregon University and come back to Willamette.

Lupe is well respected among the Willamette Academy students, and I can see why — he strives to do well, doesn’t give up easily and keeps in mind the example he sets for the younger students coming up behind him.

Yesterday I met with Maya, a Willamette Academy senior I’d been tracking since last summer, to catch up and find out how she was doing. Maya is the picture of the busy, high-achieving student. She’s involved in a multitude of extracurricular activities, taking rigorous courses, maintaining a high GPA — all while contemplating her next step in life and trying to fight off the anxiety that comes with senioritis.

So she looked a bit weary when we met. But at the same time, she was excited about the fun parts of her senior year — the most recent was being crowned queen at a school pageant — and about finishing high school. Maya isn’t travelling far after graduation. She was accepted at Willamette (along with two other schools), and she plans to enroll here as a freshman in the fall.

As we approach the end of the school year, it’s exciting to see what’s happening to the seniors like Maya. I first met these students last summer, when the thought of being a senior was brand new and graduation day was still an eternity away. Now it’s almost here, and I’m starting to see what will become of these students, what important choices they are making for their futures. It’s been a long five years since these seniors started the program, and now the end is so close they can almost taste it.

They were checking in for one of their monthly Saturday sessions. This one was their first under a newly revised format, one that had them attending academic sessions all morning before pursuing more artistic activities in the afternoon.

Students had signed up for academic sessions in subjects in which they felt they needed help. They met in various locations in the Collins and Olin science centers. In one room, Algebra 2 students were testing a theory that people’s arm spans are the same length as their heights, and then graphing the results. In Biology, a small group was labeling the parts of an animal cell. Geometry students were trying to solve a logic puzzle in a different room.

As one might expect on a Saturday morning, or any morning for that matter, some of the students struggled to keep their eyes open. Others enthusiastically participated in discussion. These Saturday sessions are meant to supplement the students’ academic activities at their school, another way to keep them focused on learning. It also serves another important purpose — the continued building of a community of support.

This was a relatively quiet evening at the study hall — I was told that the previous night had been packed — but still I could see the benefits of the program. I saw several students I had met during the summer camps, except now they were hunched over math books, trying to solve word problems. One eighth-grader told me he hops on the bus almost every day after school to come to the study hall because it gives him a quieter place to work. “At home, there’s lots of distractions like TV and video games,” he said.

The summer camps are a lot of fun for the students and a great way to get them engaged in learning. But then what happens to them when they go back to school and get back into their regular routine, away from the support of academy mentors and teachers? The academy staff knows that supporting these students during the regular school year is just as important. Hence the study halls every weekday, with staff and University students at the ready.

I got to meet Delyla’s mom and dad, both of whom were strong in their support of the program and what it had done for their daughter. The entire Cat was filled with people, all there to see what the students had accomplished during camp. Several of the younger students performed skits they had learned in their drama class, including one about the horrors of dealing with acne — a problem all of them could empathize with.

The skits were followed by a group of students who read their poetry. The audience was rapt with attention as these youths poured their hearts out through their words. These weren’t amateur poems; they took on powerful topics such as terrorism, sexism, prejudice, violence and heritage. Their talent was beyond impressive.

The night ended with a slide show tribute to the seniors, showcasing photos of them when they started the program five years ago and photos of them today. Some of them had obviously grown up quite a bit; others looked much the same. But even if they hadn’t changed much physically, the changes in their maturity were immense. The seniors I met during this camp were bright, creative, unique, goal-oriented, striving for success. It will be exciting to see what happens to them in the next year.

Whenever a new visitor wandered in, one of the students marched right up to him or her and offered to give a tour. Then the students proudly took the visitor from station to station, pointing out the photographs they had taken, the poems they had crafted, the masks they had painted. At each station, the students made sure to single out their own works.

This gallery was one of my favorite moments of the entire camp. First, the work of the students was wonderful. Several of them admitted to me that they had never tried their hand at poetry before, yet I read their work and saw the beginnings of great future writers. Same with the photos and other projects.

But beyond that, I could already see a change in many of the first-year students, who had come into the program not knowing what to expect, some of them unsure of whether they would enjoy it. Now they were outgoing, eager to share their experiences, proud to show off what they could do. One first-year girl I met on the first day of camp had been apprehensive at the time; today, she told me, “I don’t want to go home now. I really like the people here.”

I was told before the camp started that I would see a transformation in the new students before the end of the 10 days. I admit I was a bit skeptical. But after going to this gallery and talking to these students, I realized it was true. They’re excited about their own potential and about their future — a very important first step in their path to college.

Except for a brief scare where poison oak was discovered, the students had a blast with the project. It was hard work — you can’t just pull ivy like you pick a flower; it requires you to remove the entire root structure — but they didn’t seem to mind. Several of them talked about the fun of being outdoors. I watched others connect with the college students leading the project, asking them questions about what their universities are like. Some complained about their hands being sore, but it didn’t stop them from pulling.

It was nice seeing them outside doing an activity many of them had never experienced. But it also was a good activity to emphasize the importance of service and helping take care of the community. As one student told me, “I think it’s kind of fun because we’re helping the environment.”

When I met Lupe today, I discovered that he is calm, laid back, easy-going. He told me about his parents, former migrant workers who sometimes recruited him to help with field work. He talked about how some of his uncles are “gangbangers,” and how his parents worried about the way he looked up to them.

But then Lupe was invited to join Willamette Academy. He said he was shy at first, but changed after coming to the summer camp and learning how to get to know people. He has learned how to interact with other cultural groups instead of just hanging out with other Mexican-Americans. He plays three sports and has been in the marching band at McKay High School.

Lupe, like many of the others, has had many barriers to overcome. But also like the others, he has high goals for himself and high hopes of achieving them. It’s a story many could learn from.

But many of the essays also were difficult to read without feeling stunned or amazed at these students’ experiences. Like the essay about one Mexican-American boy’s experience facing discrimination. Or another student’s father dying and leaving her to take on more responsibilities than any 16-year-old should. Or most notably, one boy whose cocaine-addicted mother was in and out of jail, and whose alcoholic father drank instead of caring for him.

I didn’t know what to say to this student after reading his essay. What do you say to someone whose life has been the picture of everything that is wrong, someone whose pain or struggles you could never fully relate to? But I also read in that essay — and many of the others — lines about the importance of an education, about staying strong, about being motivated to have a better life. The students in that room had climbed the steepest mountains, but the point was that they had done it. They were almost to the top, ready to look out and see their whole future ahead of them.

I’m beginning to truly realize how easily many of these students might have dropped out or gotten arrested or been lost to drugs and alcohol. But yet here they are, working toward something better, which made me wonder what caused their change. Maybe it was Willamette Academy. Maybe it was their inner strength. Maybe it was a role model in their school or family. Whatever it is, I’m so glad they found it, because these kids deserve a good future.

This session was one of many introducing the students to the various aspects of applying to college. Hudkins offered numerous tips about how to act in an interview, what types of questions to ask and even what to wear.

The students were hesitant to participate through most of the class. But at the end, when Hudkins asked them to break into groups and create skits about the college or job interview process, their creativity shone. They acted out the parts of the overbearing parent, the demanding employer, the student who did everything wrong. The skits had everyone in the room cracking up with laughter. Once they put their minds to it, these students have amazing creativity.

Outside the office, I sat and talked with Delyla Sablan-Bernard. She is a senior at Silverton High School who came to the United States about six years ago from Saipan. Delyla is Micronesian and very proud of her culture. She talks about the way many Islanders don’t find education important, or how they get married and have children when they are young instead of going on to college and a career.

Delyla doesn’t want to be like them. She talks a lot about the wisdom of her parents, who continually push her to complete her education, and about her love for Willamette Academy, which she calls “a once-in-a-lifetime thing.”

She is a strong young woman. Her story, I’m sure, is just the first of those I will hear from these students as I meet them during the camp.

Watching the new students move into the dorms was fun. It felt just like what I remember of my experience moving into a dorm for my freshman year of college. Parents carrying suitcases and scouting the halls for the nearest bathroom. Students putting their sheets on their beds, some for the first time. New roommates awkwardly meeting and getting to know each other. Hugs as the parents left their children behind, many unsure of how to deal with not having their son or daughter around for such a long period of time.

This is college, and the first-year students are learning it the best way possible.

It’s the day that all the high school seniors in Willamette Academy — the students who were in the program’s first class and who next spring will be the first to graduate from high school — arrive on campus for the beginning of their final year.

My name is Sarah Evans, and I’m a writer in Willamette’s communications office. For the next year, I’ll be following these youths through their final year of the academy, a college preparation program for ethnically diverse and economically disadvantaged secondary students from the Salem-Keizer School District.

Without this program, many of these students might not be considering college. With it, many of them are talking about filling out applications this fall and enrolling in four-year universities after graduation.

Their final year begins with an annual summer camp, where they’ll be busy going through the college application process — while also acting as mentors to the new eighth-graders who are joining the program.

I’ll catch up with the students numerous times throughout the year. But first is the summer camp, starting tomorrow.