I Will Graduate Day 2024: An Uplifting Day of Youth Inspiration & Awards
I Will Graduate Day was everything we anticipated and more! The event, created by Entertainers for Education Alliance, founded by Tonya Lewis Taylor, celebrated its 20th anniversary with this year’s event. We started at the red carpet and then made our way inside the historic Kings Theatre for a jam-packed event hosted by actor, host and philanthropist Terrance J. High school students from all over New York City flooded the theatre and the excitement bellowed from outside to upstairs, as public figures began to arrive one by one.
Cash Cobain was one of the first artists to pull up on the carpet and the cutest interaction took place! His little cousin, a DeVore Center dancer, got his attention as her dance crew entered the venue. She joined him on the carpet and handed her phone over, connecting him with other family members. They shared a sweet moment, and she got to have the carpet experience with him! She and her dance crew would later take to the stage as one of the opening acts of the event.
Other artists who graced the carpet were Jacquees accompanied by his R&B group (Bluff City) whom he showed lots of love and really passed the spotlight to, just another one of the fitting nuances for such an event. The likes of “Touchin’” singer and Jersey native, Honey Bxby (cuteness overflow), Bronx born, Brooklyn raised Scar Lip (with her signature enthusiastic energy) and of course “Power” actress Miss Naturi Naughton, who spoke to ParleNY about the importance of having her daughter Zuri there with her, a “future graduate” as Naturi described her.
After the carpet we headed inside the venue where the young people were turned up! I spoke to students Jayla and Tara who were enjoying the event and told me they plan on going to school for nursing and cosmetology, respectively.
Amongst the honorees of the event were Bronx Collegiate Academy Principal, Darryl White who delivered a motivating speech, as well as Speaker Adrienne Adams (Queens District 28), gracing the stage with a strong and powerful lecture where she really got the children involved with a mantra and back and forth, “who will graduate?!”, she yelled, and the children responded, strong – “I Will Graduate!”.
Brooklyn’s 45th District Congresswoman Farah N. Louis and former basketball player Jamaal Tinsley also popped out sharing uplifting messages.
Aforementioned artists Honey Bxby, and Scar Lip, along with Bronx native Capella Grey, all took the stage performing and sharing words of encouragement with the students. Cash Cobain ended his segment by dropping off a donation of $4,000 which will begin a new I Will Graduate Scholarship Fund, giving away $1000 to four students each year for education!
Teyana Taylor, DJ Khaled and Coco Jones all sent inspiring video messages to the young people, which really got them going – Coco left them with a strong message, encouraging them to continue to pour into their passions, but balance it out with schoolwork, I think it’s a message we could all use –
“honestly having a degree is something I wish I could go back and do because I feel like there’s so many different things and fields that I had the time to learn. but I was just you know, chasing the dream, and I could’ve balanced both so while you guys have the opportunity to have time and youth and to be able to balance, I would encourage you guys to really put your head in those books…”
This was such an inspiring event. Look forward to more great things from this organization!
Main Image: CEO Tonya Lewis Taylor – Credit: I Will Graduate
Terrance J credit: I Will Graduate