They were celebrating turning their lives around by completing a high school equivalency exam, or enrolling in college or graduate school through Boston Uncornered, a program for former gang members run by College Bound Dorchester. At the event Thursday evening, two student speakers addressed family, friends, and advisers who smiled and cheered as each spoke of their journey from gang life to college life.
Gerelyn Baez recalled dropping out of high school at 15, so she could help her single mother provide financially for their large family. But “street life” brought her to prison, where she spent 11 months.
She started studying while incarcerated, and when she got out, she got a job. Then someone told her about Boston Uncornered. She went through high school and college with help from the program.
Now Baez is attending Boston College on a $60,000 grant to get a master’s degree in social work. She wept as she spoke of her desire to set an example for her daughter, fiance, and family. She received a standing ovation from the audience. “Going back to school was the best decision I ever made in my life,” Baez said.
AB Toliaferro said that while he came from a solid home “a desire for money drew me to the streets.” Gang life led him to four years in prison. He finished his HiSet, a high school equivalency test, with help from counselors at Boston Uncornered.
Advisers would call, text, and come to his house to make sure he followed through on his studies. They never let him quit, Toliaferro said.
“I look around this room, and all I see is winners,” Toliaferro said.
Michella Caldeira, senior vice president of College Bound Dorchester, said the ceremony is her favorite day of the year. “We take today to celebrate what’s right in the world — this is what’s right,” Caldeira said to cheers.
The ceremony’s setting in one of Boston’s grandest cultural institutions had special meaning. Makeeba McCreary, the museum’s chief of learning and community engagement, choked up as she pointed to a young man dressed in a shiny black graduation gown. “At my previous job, I was a case counselor for him when he was 12 years old,” McCreary said. “He sure gave me a run for my money, but today he’s graduating.”
McCreary had a special gift for the graduates and the program’s staff — free family memberships to the museum. “You have survived, but that’s not enough,” she said. “You need to thrive.”